| The primary goal of this study was to investigate the biodegradation potential of lignin degrading fungi or white rot fungi in bioremediation of the heavy hydrocarbon compounds. One of the advantages of using lignin-degrading fungi in bioremediation of heavy hydrocarbons is that the fungi extracellular enzyme directly attacks the hydrocarbons, whereas oil-degrading bacteria have only intracellular enzymes, which can only attack the water-soluble portions. Further more, some fungi species have shown the ability to degrade high molecular weight compounds (with 4--6 fused rings), whereas bacterial biodegradation is often limited to low molecular weight hydrocarbons (3--4 fused rings).; In this research, twelve different white rot fungi strains have been prescreened for the best biodegradation potential (best growth & enzyme activity in the soil). A fractional factorial experiment was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the fungi applications and the effects of moisture content and bulking agent in remediation of a flare pit soil. The results of the experiments were statistically analyzed and the effect of each variable was assessed. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
