Isolation and identification of native degrading fungi from Wastewater's pollutants in cardboard recycling industry

Abstract

Introduction: By increasing the amount and diversity of bio-environmental wastewater pollutants, it is essential to be controlled and planed the environmental contaminants to eliminate or minimize. Cardboard recycling industry wastewater has the potential of environmental pollution; it is contaminated with various fungal species that may be effective in the decomposition and removal of pollutants. The aim of this study was the isolation and identification of native fungal species that decontaminate organic pollutants in the cardboard recycling industry wastewaters.

Methods: In this study, which is a descriptive study, samples were randomly taken from different area of wastewater of cardboard recycling industry. Samples were cultured on Saboraud dextrose agar medium for isolation of probable fungal species, which decomposers of wastewater. The isolated fungal colonies were enumerated and purified based on morphological characteristics and microscopic analyzing as far as possible.

Results: The average count of the total number of fungi species in wastewater of cardboard recycling industry was 2.5×102 CFU/ml of these 2.1×101 were saprophytic fungi. The most prevalent fungal species were identificated from the wastewater include Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillum, Geotrichum, Mucor, Drechselera, Paecillomyces, Alternaria, Fusarium and Absidia. The highest frequency of fungal species Aspergillus nige, Aspergillus flavus and Penicillum were 30.89%, 22.76% and 14.63% respectively.

Conclusion: It seems that native fungi isolated from the cardboard recycling industry wastewater in this study are from fungi that have the potential for bioremediation of wastewater contaminants based on scientific literature and can be used for evaluating of their ability to decompose wastewater from this industry.