Atrazine biodegradation in soil by Aspergillus niger

Abstract

Atrazine is a commonly used herbicide in the Mexican agricultural industry even though it is hazardous for human and animal health. Before reaching its mineralization, this herbicide infiltrates through soil, producing toxic compounds and contaminating groundwater sources. Considering that Aspergillus niger (A. niger) is a filamentous fungus that degrades pectin, cellulose, and other organic polymers, this study analyzes its use to accelerate atrazine mineralization under optimal parameters of temperature, soil humidity, and a co‐substrate for bio‐stimulation. Different atrazine concentrations were used, from 0 ppm to 1000 ppm, in order to measure the growth of its filaments. Glucose and Opuntia ficus indica residues were analyzed as co‐substrates for A. niger biodegradation improvement. A DOE analysis was used to establish optimal treatment conditions. The findings in this study show that a 10 wt% of O. ficus indica as a co‐substrate with 80% humidity achieved atrazine biodegradation in the order of 70% to 75% in 6 days.

Investigation of the Persistence, Toxicological Effects, and Ecological Issues of S-Triazine Herbicides and Their Biodegradation Using Emerging Technologies: A Review

“…To degrade atrazine, this fungal strain was isolated from the soil, and its degradation efficiency was characterized by analyzing different parameters like temperature, soil humidity, and co-substrate for bio-stimulation. This research showed that using O. ficus indica 10 wt% as a co-substrate with 80% humidity achieved 75% degradation in six days [90]. In another study, a fungus strain, Pleurotus ostreatus INCQS 40310, was isolated from a contaminated site, and was capable of degrading atrazine from 90.3% to 94.5% within 10-15 days in the presence of FeSO 4 and MnSO 4 salts.…”

Towards energy sustainability with a social perspective: A special section on the occasion of the third international energy conference

“…Moreover, two reports on soil remediation are included in this Special Section and are devoted to the study of contaminated soil with exachlorohexane [ 4 ] and biodegradation of soil contaminated with atrazine, a highly toxic herbicide used in Mexico and Latin America. [ 5 ] Furthermore, two additional contributions focused on the optimization of green biodiesel production conditions [ 6 ] and a systematic methodology to develop the engineering for a photocatalytic laboratory reactor based on LED lights, [ 7 ] respectively, complement this Special Section.…”