The efficiency of Penicillium commune for bioremoval of industrial oil

Among all environmental contaminations, industrial oil is one of the major pollutants of soil, water, and air. There are different chemical, physical, and biological methods to remove all types of oil pollutions. One of the common biological methods is to utilize the microorganisms like yeast, fungi or bacteria. Previous studies concerning the biodegradation of an aromatic compound in industrial waste water by Aspergillus niger have been reported. In this study, we tried to identify an oil-derived microorganism and evaluate its efficacy on self-removal of industrial oil. Firstly, the strain of isolated fungus from various bulks of used oil was defined via colonial identification and DNA sequencing. Secondly, bioremoval activity of defined fungus (Penicillium commune) was evaluated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The optimum conditions in biological elimination of oil including the incubation time, pH level of culture, and amount of reagents were determined. In the best condition, a removal rate of 95.4 % was obtained.     

Biostratigraphy of the Surgah formation in Kuh-e-Surgah and correlation with Tang-e-Gerab (West of Iran)

In biostratigraphic studies of the Surgah formation in the Kuh-e-Surgah section, 145 samples were collected. The thickness of the Surgah formation is about 175 m, and it consists mainly of limestone and shale. The lower and upper boundaries of the Surgah formation are Sarvak and Ilam formations, respectively, and they are conformable with sharp lithology. Seventeen species which belong to six genera of planktonic foraminifera and four biozones have been identified in this study. Based on foraminifera assemblages and biozone determinations, the age of the Surgah formation is Late Turonian to Early Late Santonian. This section is correlated with the Tang-e-Gerab section.