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Isolation of highly copper‐tolerant fungi from the smelter of the Naganobori copper mine, an historic mine in Japan
Author(s) -
Fujii K.,
Fukunaga S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 1364-5072
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2008.03950.x
Subject(s) - copper , copper mine , smelting , isolation (microbiology) , copper ore , mining engineering , environmental science , metallurgy , geology , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , materials science
Aims: Copper is a critical metal of modern industry, and is the most widespread heavy metal contaminant in wastewater. Therefore, isolation of copper‐tolerant microbes having the potential as biosorbent is fascinating not only from an environmental microbiology, but also from a biotechnology view point. In this study, we attempted to isolate highly copper‐tolerant microbes from soil samples of the Nabanobori copper mine, the oldest mine in Japan. Methods and Results: As a result of an enrichment culture, two fungal strains were isolated from soil of the smelter remains. The isolates could grow in a maximum of 200 mmol l −l Cu 2+ , and grew under a wide pH range. The Cu 2+ ‐binding capacity of nontreated biomass of the isolates was around 35 mg Cu 2+ g −1 ‐biomass. Analysis of 18S rDNA suggested that the isolates belong to the Aspergillus / Penicillium clade, but they represented a distinct lineage against known neighbours. Conclusion: The isolates were highly copper‐tolerant, and their Cu 2+ ‐binding capacity was comparable to well‐studied fungal sorbents. The isolates were implied as novel species. Soil of the historic old mine under weather‐beaten conditions might be a suitable source for metal‐tolerant microbes. Significance and Impact of the Study: The present results advance our understanding of metal‐tolerant microbes, and offer a new tool for both environmental control and metal recovery operations.