The highly tolerant fungi and extraction potentiality of lanthanum: application on rare earth elements concentrate derivative from monazite

• Published in: Toxicology and environmental health sciences 2023-03, Vol.15 (1), p.31-39
• Main Authors: Rezk, Mohamed M., Morse, Wessam M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aspergillus; Aspergillus niger; Bacterial leaching; Bioaccumulation; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Bioremediation; Biosorption; Cell walls; Environmental Health; Environmental stress; Fungi; Gene sequencing; Lanthanum; Leaching; Lipids; Metals; Monazite; Original Article; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Phylogeny; Polymers; Polyphosphates; Polysaccharides; Rare earth elements; Saccharides; Siderophores
• ISSN: 2005-9752; 2233-7784
• DOI: 10.1007/s13530-022-00155-4

Purpose The present study was aimed to evaluate the fungal resistance level toward lanthanum as well as the influence of La on the development of fungi isolates also, assessing their biosorption and bioaccumulation capacity. Material and Methods Spray technique of lanthanum was used for fungi growth, then testing each fungi tolerance index and biosorption capacity for lanthanum. Results Only one fungi strain from three could tolerate until 3500 ppm La which undergoes a morphological, gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis to be a strain MK457457.1 of Aspergillus niger . Aspergillus showed a high biosorption capacity in the synthetic concentrations with a removal percent of 99.89 and 84.70 at 200 and 3500 ppm respectively, this result was confirmed by scan electronic microscope (SEN) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. On testing Aspergillus on concentrated rare earth sample derivative from monazite from nuclear materials authority, Aspergillus showed a high removal percent even in the presence of many metals’ competition and interference, the removal percent activity of Aspergillus niger showed a high affinity in the REEs concentrated monazite sample for La, Ce, Nd and Dy recording 77.26, 64.29, 59.87 and 94.42 respectively. Discussion Fungi has a strong ability to adapt with the environmental stress as metal pollution with an improvement to mineral bioleaching, this may be due to the cell wall composition which includes 80–90% polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, polyphosphates, inorganic ions and other biosorption agents, accompanied with the extracellular biodegradative enzymes secretion and the siderophores or polymers, all this factor produce an excellent metal-binding and bioleaching-biosorption properties. Conclusion Fungi were considered as a promising microorganism that helps in a great form in bioremediation and cleaning the environment and soil and from many metals to be able for its reuse.