title: Fungal biodegradation of hard coal by a newly reported isolate, Neosartorya fischeri.
abstract: Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) has been observed to grow sporadically on the surface of coal dumps in the Witbank coal mining area of South Africa. Root zone investigation indicated that a number of fungal species may be actively involved in the biodegradation of hard coal, thus enabling the survival of the plant, through mutualistic interaction, in this extreme environment. In an extensive screening program of over two thousand samples, the Deuteromycete, Neosartorya fischeri, was isolated and identified. The biodegradation of coal by N. fischeri was tested in flask studies and in a perfusion fixed-bed bioreactor used to simulate the coal dump environment. The performance of N. fischeri was compared to Phanaerochaete chrysosporium and Trametes (Polyporus) versicolor, previously described in coal biodegradation studies. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry of the biodegradation product indicated oxidation of the coal surface and nitration of the condensed aromatic structures of the coal macromolecule as possible reaction mechanisms in N. fischeri coal biodegradation. This is a first report of N. fischeri-mediated coal biodegradation and, in addition to possible applications in coal biotechnology, the findings may enable development of sustainable technologies in coal mine rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Biotechnology Research Unit Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
authors.forename: Eric E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Igbinigie
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aktins
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: van Breugel
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van Dyke
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Davies-Coleman
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Rose
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D019149:Bioreactors; D003031:Coal / Q000382:microbiology*; D031744:Cynodon / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006812:Humic Substances / Q000032:analysis / Q000382:microbiology; D055326:Neosartorya / Q000166:cytology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020075:Phanerochaete / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013559:Symbiosis; D055454:Trametes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D006812:Humic Substances