Heavy Metal Immobilization by Phosphate-Solubilizing Fungus and Phosphogypsum Under the Co-Existence of Pb(II) and Cd(II)
Globally, phosphogypsum (PG) is the primary by-product of the phosphorus industry. <i>Aspergillus niger</i> (<i>A. niger</i>), one of the most powerful types of phosphate-solubilizing fungi (PSF), can secrete organic acids to dissolve the phosphates in PG. This study investig...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Xu Li Zhenyu Chao Haoxuan Li Jiakai Ji Xin Sun Yingxi Chen Zhengda Li Zhen Li Chuanhao Li Jun Yao Lan Xiang |
| author_facet | Xu Li Zhenyu Chao Haoxuan Li Jiakai Ji Xin Sun Yingxi Chen Zhengda Li Zhen Li Chuanhao Li Jun Yao Lan Xiang |
| author_sort | Xu Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Globally, phosphogypsum (PG) is the primary by-product of the phosphorus industry. <i>Aspergillus niger</i> (<i>A. niger</i>), one of the most powerful types of phosphate-solubilizing fungi (PSF), can secrete organic acids to dissolve the phosphates in PG. This study investigated heavy metal (HM) remediation by PG and <i>A. niger</i> under the co-existence of Pb and Cd. It demonstrated that 1 mmol/L Pb<sup>2+</sup> stimulated the bioactivity of <i>A. niger</i> during incubation, based on the CO<sub>2</sub> emission rate. PG successfully functioned as P source for the fungus, and promoted the growth of the fungal cells. Meanwhile, it also provided sulfates to immobilize Pb in the solution. The subsequently generated anglesite was confirmed using SEM imaging. The immobilization rate of Pb reached over 95%. Under co-existence, Pb<sup>2+</sup> and 0.01 mmol/L Cd<sup>2+</sup> maximized the stimulating effect of <i>A. niger</i>. However, the biotoxicity of Pb<sup>2+</sup> and elevated Cd<sup>2+</sup> (0.1 mmol/L) counterbalanced the stimulating effect. Finally, 1 mmol/L Cd<sup>2+</sup> dramatically reduced the fungal activity. In addition, organic matters from the debris of <i>A. niger</i> could still bind Pb<sup>2+</sup> and Cd<sup>2+</sup> according to the significantly lowered water-soluble Pb and Cd concentrations. In all treatments with the addition of Cd<sup>2+</sup>, the relatively high biotoxicity of Cd<sup>2+</sup> induced <i>A. niger</i> to absorb more Pb<sup>2+</sup> to minimize the sorption of Cd<sup>2+</sup> based on the XRD results. The functional group analysis of ATR-IR also confirmed the phenomenon. This pathway maintained the stability of Pb<sup>2+</sup> immobilization using the fungus and PG. This study, hence, shed light on the application of <i>A. niger</i> and solid waste PG to remediate the pollution of Pb and Cd. |
| format | Article |
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| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-3cc7be92da844d7dba5a79face82e88c2025-07-25T13:10:00ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-07-01157163210.3390/agronomy15071632Heavy Metal Immobilization by Phosphate-Solubilizing Fungus and Phosphogypsum Under the Co-Existence of Pb(II) and Cd(II)Xu Li0Zhenyu Chao1Haoxuan Li2Jiakai Ji3Xin Sun4Yingxi Chen5Zhengda Li6Zhen Li7Chuanhao Li8Jun Yao9Lan Xiang10Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, ChinaSchool of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, ChinaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaGlobally, phosphogypsum (PG) is the primary by-product of the phosphorus industry. <i>Aspergillus niger</i> (<i>A. niger</i>), one of the most powerful types of phosphate-solubilizing fungi (PSF), can secrete organic acids to dissolve the phosphates in PG. This study investigated heavy metal (HM) remediation by PG and <i>A. niger</i> under the co-existence of Pb and Cd. It demonstrated that 1 mmol/L Pb<sup>2+</sup> stimulated the bioactivity of <i>A. niger</i> during incubation, based on the CO<sub>2</sub> emission rate. PG successfully functioned as P source for the fungus, and promoted the growth of the fungal cells. Meanwhile, it also provided sulfates to immobilize Pb in the solution. The subsequently generated anglesite was confirmed using SEM imaging. The immobilization rate of Pb reached over 95%. Under co-existence, Pb<sup>2+</sup> and 0.01 mmol/L Cd<sup>2+</sup> maximized the stimulating effect of <i>A. niger</i>. However, the biotoxicity of Pb<sup>2+</sup> and elevated Cd<sup>2+</sup> (0.1 mmol/L) counterbalanced the stimulating effect. Finally, 1 mmol/L Cd<sup>2+</sup> dramatically reduced the fungal activity. In addition, organic matters from the debris of <i>A. niger</i> could still bind Pb<sup>2+</sup> and Cd<sup>2+</sup> according to the significantly lowered water-soluble Pb and Cd concentrations. In all treatments with the addition of Cd<sup>2+</sup>, the relatively high biotoxicity of Cd<sup>2+</sup> induced <i>A. niger</i> to absorb more Pb<sup>2+</sup> to minimize the sorption of Cd<sup>2+</sup> based on the XRD results. The functional group analysis of ATR-IR also confirmed the phenomenon. This pathway maintained the stability of Pb<sup>2+</sup> immobilization using the fungus and PG. This study, hence, shed light on the application of <i>A. niger</i> and solid waste PG to remediate the pollution of Pb and Cd.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/7/1632<i>Aspergillus niger</i>phosphogypsumleadcadmiumimmobilization of heavy metals |
| spellingShingle | Xu Li Zhenyu Chao Haoxuan Li Jiakai Ji Xin Sun Yingxi Chen Zhengda Li Zhen Li Chuanhao Li Jun Yao Lan Xiang Heavy Metal Immobilization by Phosphate-Solubilizing Fungus and Phosphogypsum Under the Co-Existence of Pb(II) and Cd(II) Agronomy <i>Aspergillus niger</i> phosphogypsum lead cadmium immobilization of heavy metals |
| title | Heavy Metal Immobilization by Phosphate-Solubilizing Fungus and Phosphogypsum Under the Co-Existence of Pb(II) and Cd(II) |
| title_full | Heavy Metal Immobilization by Phosphate-Solubilizing Fungus and Phosphogypsum Under the Co-Existence of Pb(II) and Cd(II) |
| title_fullStr | Heavy Metal Immobilization by Phosphate-Solubilizing Fungus and Phosphogypsum Under the Co-Existence of Pb(II) and Cd(II) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Heavy Metal Immobilization by Phosphate-Solubilizing Fungus and Phosphogypsum Under the Co-Existence of Pb(II) and Cd(II) |
| title_short | Heavy Metal Immobilization by Phosphate-Solubilizing Fungus and Phosphogypsum Under the Co-Existence of Pb(II) and Cd(II) |
| title_sort | heavy metal immobilization by phosphate solubilizing fungus and phosphogypsum under the co existence of pb ii and cd ii |
| topic | <i>Aspergillus niger</i> phosphogypsum lead cadmium immobilization of heavy metals |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/7/1632 |
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