Survey of organochlorine-tolerant culturable mycota from contaminated soils, and 2,4-D removal ability of Penicillium species in synthetic wastewater

Abstract

Agrochemical wastewater, which is produced by the extensive use of herbicides, has become a serious environmental pollutant. In this study, culturable mycota were isolated from soils contaminated with herbicides 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), and their ability to tolerate and remove 2,4-D was assessed. The mycota were isolated on solid medium supplemented with 10 mmol L−1 of MCPA or 2,4-D. Tolerance and removal assays were performed in synthetic wastewater, and removal was quantified by HPLC-UV and MS/MS. Fusarium spp., Aspergillus spp., and Penicillium spp. were the most frequently isolated genera. Six Penicillium strains were able to tolerate up to 25 mmol L−1 of 2,4-D. Within this group, two P. crustosum strains (RCP4 and RCP13) degraded more than 50% of the 2,4-D in the medium during the first 7 days of incubation. Removal percentages reached 54% for RCP4 and 75% for RCP13 after 14 days. These two strains, therefore, could potentially be considered for the design of bioaugmentation strategies aimed at reducing contamination by 2,4-D in wastewater.