ENHANCED PHENOL BIODEGRADATION BY FUNGAL CELLS IMMOBILIZED IN HYBRID SOL-GEL MATRICES

Cells of the strain Aspergillus awamori were entrapped in hybrid materials synthesized by the sol-gel method and their capability to degrade phenol was tested. Phenol was used as a sole carbon and energy source and its biodegradation was investigated in repeated batch experiments by free and immobilized cells. Ten cycles of phenol biodegradation were performed using the immobilized cells system and 2000 mg.l(-1) phenol was completely degraded. The hybrid sol-gel matrix containing tetraethylortosilicate (TEOS) as an inorganic precursor and chitosan as an organic constituent appeared to be a suitable carrier for this purpose. The performance of the immobilized system reveals the possibility for the development of an efficient technique for phenol degradation with a cost-effective process, involving fungal cells entrapped in sol-gel hybrid matrices.