Biodegradation of phenol by a newly Aspergillus sp. strain isolated from a contaminated soil in southern Brazil

The main goal of this work was to study the biodegradation of phenol in batch mode by a filamentous fungus isolated from a contaminated site in Southern Brazil. A better performance was obtained by previous adaptation of the microorganism to the toxic chemical. A 23 experimental design was proposed and it could be observed total phenol degradation in 72 h using 500 mg L-1 glucose, inoculum of 20% and agitation of 200 rpm, resulting a biodegradation rate of 3.76 mg L-1 h-1. In relation to phenol tolerance, Aspergillus sp. LEBM2 was able to consume up to 989 ± 15 mg L-1.