Avaliação da capacidade de Aspergillus flavus na biodegradação de plásticos do tipo Polietileno Tereftalato

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the capacity of the fungus Aspergillus flavus in the biodegradation of polyethylene terephthalate-type plastics. The microorganism used in this study was obtained from soil samples from the mangrove in two areas in the estuary of the good signs. The study to obtain potential fungi in the degradation of plastics was initiated in the laboratory of INIP. The soil samples were measured on an analytical balance and pre-enriched with the AP culture medium and pipetted into plates after homogenization for 30 seconds and the fungi were cultivated in SDA medium for 7 days. A. flavus was identified and showed rapid growth after 7 days of inoculation of the isolate, it presented a rough topography, powdery texture and a yellowish-green coloration of the reproductive mycelium and white at the edges. For the isolation and monitoring of the colonization of Aspergillus flavus in Polyethylene Terephthalate under controlled conditions, in which polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was the material tested and A. flavus were cultivated in AP medium and coconut oil containing 0.60 g of PET in sterilized glass bottles at a temperature of 30ºC for 46 days, the results were significant, as they suggested the ability of A. flavus to adapt, adhere and degrade PET, with a metabolite variation indicating a favorable environment for the growth and metabolism of the fungus. In the quantification of the degree of biodegradation of Polyethylene Terephthalate by Aspergillus flavus it was shown after the incubation period: in three averages of ΔM% weighed on an analytical balance, in which A. flavus reduced the weight of PET by 15.06%, 23.77% and 19.80% respectively after 46 days, in an average of three measurements each ΔM%. In conclusion, A. flavus demonstrates its importance in biodegradation processes, that is, this fungus has the ability to degrade PET.