Iron Uptake by Fungi Isolated from Arcelor Mittal -Annaba- in the Northeast of Algeria

Bourzama, GOuled-Haddar, HMarrouche, MAliouat, A

The Metal pollution is one of the major risks in the world nowadays. Iron is an essential metal for growth and proliferation of a vast majority of organisms, but it can be toxic to human health and other living beings in the environment at high concentrations due to its increased industrial activity. Fungi have a remarkable capacity to uptake and detoxify iron metal using different mechanisms such as bioaccumulation. Thus, the aim of this work is to study the ability of iron uptake by the fungal strains isolated from Arcelor Mittal -Annaba- in Algeria. Three strains were screened at high concentration of iron (1 g/l) and their capacity to uptake iron has been studied on Czapek Yeast Agar medium. The amounts of uptaken iron ions were estimated in the same liquid medium using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). The results of the iron uptake by these screened strains showed that Cladosporium cladosporioides uptakes the highest concentration of iron (347.7 ppm), Aspergillus niger was able to accumulate up to 170 ppm of this metal while, the lowest uptake of this metal was shown by Penicillium citrinum with 106.43 ppm. It was found that the spore germination of three fungal strains was low when the medium is supplemented with high concentrations of iron. This indicated the potential of these fungal strains as biological agents for removal of iron from the industrial effluents containing high concentrations of it.(AU)

1. toxic
2. uptake
3. Fungi
4. Iron
5. screening