Uranium phosphate mineral adsorption to newly isolated fungus Cladosporium sp. strain F1

<p>It is necessary to develop environmentally benign methods for removing uranium from various environments due to its high toxicity and radioactivity. Among the methods, we used fungal biosoprtion using newly isolated <em>Cladosporium</em> sp. strain F1. Extensive absorption of presynthesized nanoplates of uranium-phosphate minerals was observed on the hyphae of the <em>Cladosporium </em>sp. strain F1. In addition, once soluble UO<sub>2</sub><sup>2+</sup> species was added to the culture of <em>Cladosporium </em>sp. strain F1, uranium mineral plates were also observed on the surface of the fungus hyphae over a range of pH. This was confirmed by EDX analyses, and SEM, AFM, and thin sectional TEM image analyses. The maximum biosorption capacity of uranyl ions was 74.3 mg g⁻¹ at pH 6.0. In general, biosorption capacity of <em>Cladosporium </em>sp. strain F1 was better than that of <em>Aspergillus niger</em> strain to uranium minerals. In conclusion, this study showed that the newly isolated fungus <em>Cladosporium </em>sp. strain F1 could be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly biosorbent to remove toxic uranium from aqueous environments.</p>