Removal of hydrocarbons from liquid media by Aspergillus niger van Tieghem

This study investigated the abiliy of Aspergillus niger van Tieghem to utilize crude oil and kerosene. Hydrocarbons are molecules that pose serious environmental problem because of their toxic, carcinogenic or teratogenic properties. The fate of these pollutants in the environment is mainly governed by the biodegradation process. The existence of these phenomena depends on the inherent biodegradability of the pollutant but also the presence of microflora-degrading competent.The microbial strain were isolated and identified from industrial wastewater samples from Sonatrach Skikda (North-east of Algeria), we selected them for their ability to grow in the presence of hydrocarbons. To test the ability to biodegrade the two selected hydrocarbons in 6 days, the study of the evolution of such parameters as the microbial kinetics, pH, the final dry weight of the population, oxygen concentration, and finally, biodegradation rate of crude oil and kerosene was conducted by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A control test was performed to quantify the losses caused by abiotic factors.The filamentous fungus was found to degrade crude oil and kerosene, when previously grown mycelium was incubated 6 days in the Galzy and Slonimski media containing hydrocarbon. The results showed that these organisms were able to utilize crude oil more than kerosene and the degradation rate was 52.01% and 32.67%, respectively. Thus Aspergillus niger van Tieghem plays a major role in the detoxification of polluted natural environments and these capabilities could be explored in bioremediation processes.