The accumulation of dry waste containing
synthetic polymers due to their resistance to microorganisms and other environmental factors has posed some
serious problems to the environment in recent years. On the
other hand, plastics constitute the foundations of economy
as they are widely used in agriculture, constructions,
packaging, health care and also medicine. The aim of this
research was to investigate the role of different isolated
fungi in the degradation of polycarbonate polymers. For
this purpose, sampling was done using the garden soil and
waste leachate from Isfahan Waste Management Organization. Samples were enriched in the liquid mineral salt
medium supplemented with polycarbonate and then were
transferred to the same medium solidified with agar to
isolate and identify different fungi. Finally, their biodegradation activity was investigated with the help of clear-
zone and atomic force microscopic (AFM) techniques, and
also lipase and amylase production was tested. Among 15
isolated genera of mold fungi,
Fusarium
,
Ulocladium
,
Chrysosporium
and
Penicillium
showed biodegradation
activity. According to the diameter of clear zone around the
fungal colonies and also AFM results, the highest rate of
degradation was related to
Fusarium.
Lipase activity of all isolated fungi was positive, but amylase activity of
Ulocladium
was negative. It can be concluded that some fungal
strains such as
Fusarium
can be used for the biodegrada-
tion of plastic materials as it leads to a very eco-friendly
biodegradation process.
