Heavy Metal Tolerance of Fungal Isolates from Steel Industry Effluent Site

Abstract

Continuous discharge of industrial effluent shows many fold increase in poisonous heavy metal concentration at the effluent site and subsequently to water reservoirs. In this study, the heavy metal resistant fungi were isolated from the soil from effluent discharged site viz., Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Mucor sp. and Penicillium sp., of which first three dominant fungi were selected for laboratory work. During investigation it was found that Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Mucor sp. are resistant to Mn, Pb and Fe respectively at various concentration of metal solution.