Highlighting the Crude Oil Bioremediation Potential of Marine Fungi Isolated from the Port of Oran (Algeria)

Abstract

While over hundreds of terrestrial fungal genera have been shown to play important roles in the biodegradation of hydrocarbons, few studies have so far focused on the fungal bioremediation potential of petroleum in the marine environment. In this study, the culturable fungal communities occurring in the port of Oran in Algeria, considered here as a chronically-contaminated site, have been mainly analyzed in terms of species richness. A collection of 84 filamentous fungi has been established from seawater samples and then the fungi were screened for their ability to utilize and degrade crude oil. A total of 12 isolates were able to utilize crude oil as a unique carbon source, from which 4 were defined as the most promising biodegrading isolates based on a screening test using 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol as a proxy to highlight their ability to metabolize crude oil. The biosurfactant production capability was also tested and, interestingly, the oil spreading and drop-collapse tests highlighted that the 4 most promising isolates were also those able to produce the highest quantity of biosurfactants. The results generated in this study demonstrate that the most promising fungal isolates, namely Penicillium polonicum AMF16, P. chrysogenum AMF47 and 2 isolates (AMF40 and AMF74) affiliated to P. cyclopium, appear to be interesting candidates for bioremediation of crude oil pollution in the marine environment within the frame of bioaugmentation or biostimulation processes.

Evaluation of crude oil biodegradation using mixed fungal cultures

“…72 isolates were unable to develop at 1% and 5% crude oil, which can also explain the inability of some genus fungi to utilized crude oil as a carbon source at these concentrations. [ 40 ]. Two isolates Aspergillus oryzae and Mucor irregulars were could tolerate varying concentrations (5, 10, 15, and 20%) of used engine oil.…”

Simulation of Microbial Response to Accidental Diesel Spills in Basins Containing Brackish Sea Water and Sediment

“…In recent years, many hydrocarbon degrading fungal species, for example Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Gibellulopsis spp. and Candida spp., have been isolated from contaminated costal seawater ( Maddela et al, 2015 ; Simister et al, 2015 ; Ameen et al, 2016 ; Maamar et al, 2020 ). These fungi are also often found in oil contaminated soil and sediment ( Quintella et al, 2019 ), indicating that the littoral terrestrial system likely serves as the source of inoculants.…”

Crude oil exploration in Africa: socio-economic implications, environmental impacts, and mitigation strategies

“…Biosurfactant produced from Bacillus subtilis strain Al-Dhabi-130 and Staphylococcus sp. CO100 degraded crude oil and reduced surface tension (Dhabi et al 2020; Alnuaimi et al 2020 ; Annie et al 2020 ; Deivakumari et al 2020 ; Khanpour-Alikelayeh et al 2020 ; Maamar et al 2020 ; Ławniczak et al 2020 ).…”