Biodegradation of phenol by free and encapsulated cells of a new <i>Aspergillus</i> sp. isolated from a contaminated site in southern Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the biodegradation performance of phenol by using free and encapsulated cells of a new Aspergillus sp. strain isolated from a crude oil contaminated soil in southern Brazil. In batch cultures, maximum degradation rates were not significantly different between free and encapsulated cells, but a decrease in adaptation time for encapsulated ones was observed. This fact indicates the presence of a microenvironment that is more favorable to biodegradation inside encapsulated cells, because of the protector effect of gel matrix, which reduces abiotic stress. Encapsulated filamentous fungus Aspergillus sp. LEBM2 showed a promising application in bioaugmentation processes, reaching maximum phenol degradation rate of 7.71 ± 0.21 mg/l.h for an initial phenol concentration of 500 mg/l.

Key words: Bioremediation, bioaugmentation, immobilization, phenol, filamentous fungi.