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Hexavalent Chromium Removal by a Trichoderma inhamatum Fungal Strain Isolated from Tannery Effluent

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Abstract

A fungal strain possibly capable of removing hexavalent chromium was to be isolated from industrial effluent from a leather factory located in the city of Guadalajara, state of Jalisco, Mexico. The strain was identified as Trichoderma inhamatum by the D1/D2 domain sequence of the 28S rDNA gene. Batch cultures of T. inhamatum in media containing initial Cr(VI) concentrations from 0.83 to 2.43 mM Cr(VI) were prepared. Experimental results suggest that the fungus is capable of transforming hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium; a transformation of a highly toxic contaminant to a low toxic form. The specific and volumetric rates of Cr(VI) reduction by T. inhamatum cultures decreased as the initial Cr(VI) concentration increased. The fungus exhibited a remarkable capacity to tolerate and completely reduce Cr(VI) concentrations up to 2.43 mM. These results indicate that the T. inhamatum fungal strain may have potential applications in bioremediation of Cr(VI)-contaminated wastewaters.

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Acknowledgements

E. C.-U. is a fellow holder of a grant from the Comisión de Operación y Fomento de Actividades Académicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrado, IPN. The CONACyT awarded a graduate scholarship to one of the authors (L. M.-B.).

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  1. Departamento de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Prolongación de Carpio y Plan de Ayala s/n. Colonia Santo Tomás, México, D.F., C.P. 11340, México

    Liliana Morales-Barrera & Eliseo Cristiani-Urbina

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  1. Liliana Morales-Barrera
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  2. Eliseo Cristiani-Urbina
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Correspondence to Eliseo Cristiani-Urbina.

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Morales-Barrera, L., Cristiani-Urbina, E. Hexavalent Chromium Removal by a Trichoderma inhamatum Fungal Strain Isolated from Tannery Effluent. Water Air Soil Pollut 187, 327–336 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-007-9520-z

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