Abstract
This study evaluated the potential of the fungus Aspergillus niger to remove copper, chromium, and arsenic from waste wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) wood preservative. The removal of heavy metals by A. niger was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, A. niger was cultivated in carbohydrates media in order to produce large quantities of oxalic acid. Bioremediation of CCA-treated wood was performed in the second stage through both leaching of heavy metals with oxalic acid occurred during the first stage and possible biosorption of metals onto the binding sites in the cellular structure of A. niger. Oxalic acid production by A. niger was 13.4 kg/m3 at pH 6 and in an enriched nitrogen and phosphorus medium. CCA-treated chips exposed to A. niger for 10 days showed a decrease in arsenic of 97%. In addition, A. niger fermentation removed 49% copper and 55% chromium from CCA-treated chips. This study showed that fungal fermentation and passive metal removal by A. niger had a potential in arsenic release from CCA-treated waste wood.