Valenzuela Juan, Sáez-Navarrete César, Baraza Xavier, Martínez Fernando, Márquez Bastián
Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Santiago 7820436, Chile.
Research Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Santiago 7820436, Chile.
Microorganisms. 2025 Jun 18;13(6):1418. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13061418.
Plastic containers used for diesel storage represent an underexplored but significant environmental challenge due to hydrocarbon retention and prolonged weathering. This study evaluates the capacity of to colonize and grow on high-density polyethylene (HDPE) surfaces contaminated with weathered and fresh diesel residues. Circular plastic samples from HDPE tanks exposed to environmental conditions for over two years (weathered) and for less than two months (non-weathered) were inoculated with and incubated at 20 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C. Growth kinetics were assessed through radial expansion and halo formation, quantified via digital imaging and ImageJ analysis. Results showed the most robust fungal growth occurred on weathered diesel-contaminated gray plastics at 30 °C, with colony areas exceeding 350 mm and halos over 3000 mm. Conversely, white HDPE with fresh diesel showed limited and inconsistent growth, likely due to the presence of volatile hydrocarbons and polymer additives. These findings underscore the critical role of diesel aging and polymer characteristics in shaping fungal adaptability, providing a foundation for the development of environmentally sustainable bioremediation strategies targeting diesel-contaminated HDPE plastics.
由于碳氢化合物残留和长期风化，用于储存柴油的塑料容器构成了一个未被充分研究但意义重大的环境挑战。本研究评估了[具体微生物名称未给出]在被风化柴油残渣和新鲜柴油残渣污染的高密度聚乙烯（HDPE）表面定殖和生长的能力。从暴露于环境条件下超过两年（风化）和不到两个月（未风化）的HDPE储罐中获取圆形塑料样本，接种[具体微生物名称未给出]，并在20℃、25℃和30℃下培养。通过径向扩展和晕圈形成评估生长动力学，通过数字成像和ImageJ分析进行量化。结果表明，在30℃时，风化柴油污染的灰色塑料上真菌生长最为旺盛，菌落面积超过350平方毫米，晕圈超过3000平方毫米。相反，带有新鲜柴油的白色HDPE显示出有限且不一致的生长，这可能是由于挥发性碳氢化合物和聚合物添加剂的存在。这些发现强调了柴油老化和聚合物特性在塑造真菌适应性方面的关键作用，为制定针对受柴油污染的HDPE塑料的环境可持续生物修复策略奠定了基础。
