Capacity of Aspergillus niger to Degrade Anionic Surfactants and Coproduce the Detergent Compatible Enzymes

Abstract

The capacity of fungus Aspergillus niger to degrade anionic surfactants (AS) and coproduce the detergent compatible enzymes in a liquid Czapek-Dox medium supplemented with 0.3% powder detergent Merix (Henkel, Serbia) was examined in this study. The fungus was isolated from wastewater of Lepenica River (Kragujevac, Serbia), at a place where municipal wastewater discharged into the river. The concentration of AS in tested detergent and detergent-supplemented culture media was determined using a methylene blue active substances assay. The physico-chemical and biochemical changes of pH, redox potential, biomass dry weight, activities of alkaline protease and α-amylase were evaluated during fungal growth from 3-rd to 16- th day. The detergent caused an inhibitory effect on fungal growth and biomass dry weight (about 51.4%). Nevertheless, A. niger decomposed approximately 180.2 μg/mL or 30% of AS after 16 days. The results also showed that activities of alkaline protease and α-amylase were enhanced in presence of tested detergent for 372.0 and 12.7%, respectively. Overall, the obtained results indicate the potential application of fungus in wastewater treatment and detergent industry.