Potential of bioaugmentation of heavy metal contaminated soils in the Zambian Copperbelt using autochthonous filamentous fungi.

ABSTRACT: There is great potential to remediate heavy metal contaminated environments through bioaugmentation with filamentous fungi. However, these fungi have been poorly investigated in most developing countries, such as Zambia. Therefore, the present study aimed at isolating indigenous filamentous fungi from heavy metal contaminated soil and to explore their potential for use in bioaugmentation. The conventional streak plate method was used to isolate fungi from heavy metal-contaminated soil. Filamentous fungal isolates were identified using morphological and molecular techniques. The radial growth diameter technique was used to evaluate heavy metal tolerance of the fungi. The most abundant and highly tolerant fungi, identified as Aspergillus transmontanensis, Cladosporium cladosporioid

SUBMITTER: Dusengemungu L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9752026 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature