Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are common pollutants found in soil and groundwater as a result of human activities such as the combustion of fossil fuels, the incineration of wastes and the accidental spilling of oils. Fungi are able to metabolize a wide variety of PAHs, converting them either completely to carbon dioxide or to various metabolites. PAH-contaminated soil samples were collected from a variety of sites. To isolate pyrene-degrading fungi, serial dilution methods, both by direct and selective enrichment inoculations, were used. A solid PBBM (phosphate-buffered basal medium) supplied with pyrene as a sole carbon source was used as a selective medium for the isolation and cultivation of pyrene degrading organisms. After two weeks incubation, over 70 fast-growing fungal strains were selected. According to their morphologies, ten different isolates were chosen and grown in liquid PBBM and the pyrene degradation rate was analyzed by HPLC. Several isolates were able to degrade >90% of the supplied pyrene after two weeks incubation.
