Heavy metal tolerance of fungi

Abstract

This study was focused on the heavy metal (Ni, Co, Mo, V, Mn, Fe, W and Zn) tolerance of fungi strains Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus foetidus and Penicillium simplicissimum. Aspergillus niger was exposed to a mixture of Mo, V and Mn at a mass ratio of 1:2:6 as approximately present in the spent refinery processing catalyst. This study highlights the adaptation of fungi strains to Tungsten and Vanadium to high concentration. The effect of different metals and metal concentration on different strains of fungi was evaluated. Results showed that Ni was one of the most toxic metals for strains of Aspergillus and Penicillium. Aspergillus foetidus was the least tolerant, in particular for Ni, Co and Zn. In this work, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus foetidus and Penicillium simplicissimum showed higher tolerance towards Mo and V, and the three fungi have a good potential for the bioleaching of spent refinery processing catalysts that contain Mo and V. The main objective of this study is to identify the best strain, based on tolerance development, for the spent refinery processing catalyst.