Pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene metabolism by an Aspergillus terreus strain isolated from a polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons polluted soil.

A strain of Aspergillus terreus was isolated from a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) polluted soil. The metabolism of pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene by this fungus was investigated in liquid submerged culture added of 50 and 25 ppm respectively of each compound. Depletion of pyrene and Benzo(a)pyrene was evident during the first stages of growth and was 60% and 27.