Biodegradation of chlorsulfuron and metsulfuron-methyl by Aspergillus niger

ScientificWorldJournal. 2002 May 31:2:1501-6. doi: 10.1100/tsw.2002.281.

Abstract

In this work, investigations were performed under laboratory conditions of the degradation ability by a common soil fungus, Aspergillus niger, toward chlorsulfuron and metsulfuron-methyl. The results were very encouraging (79% for chlorsulfuron and 61% for metsulfuron-methyl of total degradation), especially compared to those registered in our previous studies with a Pseudomonas fluorescens strain B2 (about 21 to 32%). Furthermore, the chemical degradation of the two compounds was studied and two products (1[2-methoxy-benzene-1-sulfonyl]-7-acetyltriuret and 1[2-chlorobenzene-1-sulfonyl]-7-acetyltriuret) were isolated and characterised by hydrolysis in acidic conditions. Our aim in the future will be the identification of intermediate metabolites by HPLC and LC-MS analyses in order to identify the degradative pathway by the fungal strain and to compare this to those obtained by chemical degradation and by P. fluorescens strain.

MeSH terms

  • Arylsulfonates / chemistry
  • Arylsulfonates / metabolism*
  • Aspergillus niger / metabolism*
  • Biodegradation, Environmental
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Hydrolysis
  • Molecular Structure
  • Sulfonamides / chemistry
  • Sulfonamides / metabolism*
  • Triazines / chemistry
  • Triazines / metabolism*

Substances

  • Arylsulfonates
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Sulfonamides
  • Triazines
  • metsulfuron methyl
  • chlorsulfuron