| dc.description.abstract | Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements in the environment and cannot
be biodegraded, but they can accumulate in living organisms, including fungi. This
study aims to determine the potential of fungi isolated from landfill leachate to absorb
Cd and Zn metals. The leachate was obtained from the Namo Bintang landfill site.
Fungal isolation from leachate was performed on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA)
medium. The morphology of fungal isolates was characterized macroscopically and
microscopically. Screening of fungal tolerance to Cd and Zn metals was conducted on
Mineral Salt Medium (MSM). The ability of fungal biomass and exopolysaccharides
to absorb Cd and Zn metals was measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry
(AAS). Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS)
analysis was performed to determine the location of heavy metals absorbed by fungi.
Potential fungi were identified molecularly with ITS rDNA primers. Seventeen fungal
isolates with varying morphological characteristics were obtained. Three fungal
isolates (NKS 04, NKT 14, and NKT 16) had higher tolerance levels than the other
isolates on mineral agar media containing Cd and Zn. The three fungal isolates were
able to grow on liquid mineral media containing Cd and Zn up to a concentration of
125 ppm, with isolate NKT 14 showing the best growth at a Zn concentration of 100
ppm. The biomass of fungal isolate NKT 14 was able to absorb Cd and Zn at
concentrations of 41.77 ppm and 40.25 ppm, respectively, and the exopolysaccharides
produced were able to absorb Cd and Zn at concentrations of 26.45 ppm and 18.46
ppm, respectively. SEM-EDS analysis showed that Cd was absorbed on the surface of
the fungal mycelium. Molecular identification using ITS primers showed that isolates
NKS 04, NKT 14, and NKT 16 were Aspergillus niger, Leptosphaerulina
queenslandica, and Lichteimia ramosa, respectively. The results of this study indicate
that fungi obtained from leachate of the Namo Bintang landfill have the potential to
absorb Cd and Zn metals, and can therefore be developed as potential agents in metal
remediation. | en_US |
