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Degradation of crude oil-associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by marine-derived fungi

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Abstract

One of the major environmental concerns today is hydrocarbon contamination resulting from the activities related to the petrochemical industry. Crude oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons like alkanes, naphthene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are known to be highly toxic to humans and animals due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. PAHs are environmentally recalcitrant due to their hydrophobicity which makes them difficult to degrade, thus making them persistent environmental contaminants. The mechanical and chemical methods in practice currently to remove hydrocarbon contaminants have limited effectiveness and are expensive. Bioremediation is a cost-effective technology for treating hydrocarbon-contaminated sites as it results in the complete mineralisation of the pollutant. This study demonstrates the degradation of crude oil and associated PAHs using ten fungal cultures isolated from the aquatic environment. The current study reported a 98.6% and 92.9% reduction in total PAHs in crude oil by Fusarium species, i.e. isolate NIOSN-T4 and NIOSN-T5, respectively. The fungal isolate, NIOSN-T4, identified as Fusarium equiseti, showed maximum PAH degradation efficiency of LMW PAHs 97.8%. NIOSN-M126, identified as Penicillium citrinum, exhibited a 100% removal of HMW PAHs. Microorganisms possess an untapped potential for various applications in biotechnology, and the current study demonstrated the potential of marine fungi for use in the bioremediation of xenobiotic hydrocarbons in the environment.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Director CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography for providing all the facilities and infrastructure required to carry out this work. We acknowledge the funding from CSIR under project BSC0111 and from DBT, Govt. of India, under project GAP3297. The third author is thankful to CSIR for her Research Fellowship (18/12/2016(ii) EU-V). The last author is thankful to CSIR for her Research Fellowship (18/12/2011(ii) EU-V). The authors appreciate the critical suggestions from anonymous reviewers that helped improve the manuscript. This is NIO contribution no.

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  1. Nikita Pradip Lotlikar

    Present address: School of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Goa University, Taleigao Plateau, Goa, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biological Oceanography Division, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Panaji, Goa, 403004, India

    Natasha Maria Barnes, Samir R. Damare, Vasudha C. Bhatawadekar & Nikita Pradip Lotlikar

  2. Analytical Services Division, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Panaji, Goa, 403004, India

    Anita Garg

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  1. Natasha Maria Barnes
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Contributions

The corresponding author planned the work. The fungal cultures were isolated and identified by the last author as a part of her doctoral work. The first author carried out all the experimental work. The first, third and fourth authors carried out the GC–MS analysis. The first and corresponding authors wrote the manuscript, and all authors contributed towards improvising the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Samir R. Damare.

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Barnes, N.M., Damare, S.R., Bhatawadekar, V.C. et al. Degradation of crude oil-associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by marine-derived fungi. 3 Biotech 13, 335 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-023-03753-2

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