Isolation of marine-derived filamentous fungi and their potential application for bioremediation process.

Abstract

We evaluated the bioremediation potential of petroleum-derived compounds using fungal strains isolated from marine samples collected on the coast of the states of Paraná, Brazil. About 75 isolated filamentous fungi were subjected to assays including decolorization of the synthetic dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR), tolerance to diesel oil, production of bioemulsifying and degradation of pyrene. Nine isolates could decolorize RBBR between 3.4% and 88.16%. Ten were able to tolerate diesel oil and/or pyrene. One isolate was able to produce compounds with emulsifying properties. Three strains, Trichoderma sp. FM14 (Penicillium spp. FM02 and FM16, and FM14) were able to degrade pyrene between 33.0 and 42.4%, after 8 days. The results of the present work encourage future studies to optimize enzymatic conditions using isolates with biotechnological potential in bioremediation studies of marine environments contaminated with industrial pollutants including hydrocarbons derived from petroleum such as diesel oil and PAHs and synthetic dyes.