Evolution of trimethylarsine by a Penicillium sp. isolated from agricultural evaporation pond water

Abstract

Arsenicals are used in agriculture as pesticides and defoliants. In the Central Valley of California, arsenic is present in soil at naturally high concentrations, being derived from marine sedimentary parent material of the Coastal Range. Due to intense agricultural irrigation, soluble arsenic is leached from the soil and accumulates in evaporation ponds where it may pose an environmental threat to the waterfowl and wildlife. A Penicillium sp. isolated from evaporation pond water was found to be capable of methylating and subsequently volatilizing organic arsenic. The major focus of this study was to characterize the environmental conditions, including culture media, arsenic substrates, pH, temperature, and the presence of phosphates, carbohydrates and amino acids on the methylation of arsenic. Trimethylarsine was monitored by gas chromatography (GC)-flame ionization detection and identified by GC-mass spectrometry. The conditions or additions for optimum trimethylarsine production were: a minimal medium in which 100 mg l −1 methylarsonic acid served as the arsenic source, pH 5–6, temperature of incubation 20°C, and phosphate concentration of 0.1–50 m M (KH 2PO 4). The addition of carbohydrates and sugar acids to the minimal medium suppressed trimethylarsine production. The amino acids phenylalanine, isoleucine, and glutamine promoted trimethylarsine production with an enhancement ranging from 10.2- to 11.6-fold over the control without amino acid supplementation. The information obtained from this study may be useful in developing a bioremediation approach in trapping the arsenic gas evolved from soil or water as a mitigation alternative in the cleanup of arsenic contamination.