Studies on Heavy Metal Biosorption by Phanerochaete chrysosporium ME-446

Authors: Nilüfer CİHANGİR, Necdet SAĞLAM

Abstract: In this study, Basidiomycetes strains Phanerochaete chrysosporium ME-446 and Pleurotus sajor-cqju were grown in synthetic complete medium and petri plates containing Cu, Co, Cd, Zn and Ag as metal salts, Through preliminary plate tests Phanerochaete chrysosporium ME-446 was found to be more resistant to toxic heavy metals as compared to Pleurotus sajor-caju. Specific growth rate and maximum dry mycelium mass were inhibited by increasing metal concentrations. Metal biosorption was also observed during the course of growth in synthetic media, and 80-95% of metals were found to be absorbed by the end of active growth.

Keywords: metal biosorption, metal tolerance, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, white rot fungi