Removal of Benzo[a]pyrene by a fungus Aspergillus sp BAP14

A fungal strain BAP14 isolated from marine sediments of coast in Xiamen city, was found to have the ability to degrade benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), and identified as Aspergillus sp. based on 18S rRNA gene sequence. Aspergillus sp. BAP14 was able to remove about 30 and 60% of BaP with initial concentration of 10 mg l(-1) in 3 and 12 days of incubation, respectively. Addition of saccharides and low molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons appeared to have effect on the degradation ability, in particularly the addition of lactose and naphthalene. Furthermore, we demonstrated that lipidic particles could be observed in the presence of benzo[a]pyrene based on the morphologic performance of Aspergillus sp. BAP14 through scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively.