Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology, 2013, 4, 570-583 ABB http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/abb.2013.44075 Published Online April 2013 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/abb/ ) Tolerance and biosorption capacity of Zn 2+ , Pb 2+ , Ni 3+ and Cu 2+ by filamentous fungi (Trichoderma harzianum, T. aureoviride and T. virens) Shafiquzzaman Siddiquee 1* , Salleh N. Aishah 2 , Sujjat A. Azad 2 , Saili N. Shafawati 1 , Laila Naher 3 1 Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jln UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia 2 Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jln UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia 3 Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Jln UPM, Serdang, Malaysia Email: * shafiqpab@ums.edu.my , * shafiq.siddiquee@gmail.com Received 19 January 2013; revised 28 February 2013; accepted 6 April 2013 Copyright © 2013 Shafiquzzaman Siddiquee et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Heavy metal pollution has become a serious environ- mental issue in the last few decades. There is a need to develop potential technology that can remove toxic heavy metals ions found in polluted environments. This study was undertaken to determine the resis- tance levels of different concentrations of heavy me- tals using filamentous fungi of Trichoderma aureovi- ride, T. harzianum, and T. virens. Based on the results, the T. virens strain T128 gave the highest tolerance ability for Ni 3+ and Pb 2+ in a 1200 mg/L concentration. The accumulation and uptake capacity was determin- ed by the maximum removal of Pb 2+ , Cu 2+ , and Ni 3+ by a T. harzianum in liquid medium when compared to other fungi. The metal removal occurred at a con- centration of 500 mg/L and was 13.48 g/g for Pb 2+ , 3.1254 g/g for Cu 2+ and 0.8351 g/g for Ni 3+ . For Zn 2+ , the highest tolerance and uptake capacity of metal was recorded at 3.1789 g/g by T. virens. Keywords: Bioaccumulation; Biosorption; Heavy Metals; Trichoderma Species; Bioremediation; Wastewater Treatment 1. INTRODUCTION Environmental degradation is a global phenomenon to- day. Nevertheless, it is significantly more deleterious in the developing countries that house some of the largest populations of human inhabitants over relatively small areas. With an increasing population, the demand for de- velopment, especially in the areas of agricultural and marine sectors, is required for economic growth and in- dustrialization. The accelerated growth in the agricultural sector through the enhanced dependency on fertilizers, pesticides, and chemical uses as well as the development of industrialization has resulted in an overwhelming ef- fect on the environment. This is because all the related biota and processes are not given enough time to recover for their optimal conditions. Due to the recent development of industries, heavy metal pollution has become one of the most serious en- vironmental concerns today. Heavy metals have drasti- cally increased in the environment and are also found in nature and industrial wastewater. They naturally occur in varying concentrations as heavy metal elements in all ecosystems. Elements or compounds having different properties, such as Zn, Cu, Ni, Fe, and Mn are essential trace elements in living organisms too [1]. However, if these metals accumulate at high levels or are ingested in greater amounts than the required con- centration, they can cause serious problems in living or- ganisms, including human beings. Alleviating the con- centrations of heavy metals in water is crucial to the quality of life of aquatic organisms. Besides, heavy me- tals can cause severe toxic effects in exposed plants, ani- mals, and humans when present in excessive concentra- tions [1]. Due to their capability of binding with proteins and other bio-molecules, they act as potent enzyme inhi- bitors that hamper biochemical processes and compro- mise DNA and cell membrane integrity. With the rapid development of many industries, such as mining, surface finishing, energy and fuel production, fertilizers, pesticides, metal surface treating, electric appliance manufacture, and others activities, wastes containing metals are direct- ly or indirectly discharged into the environment, produc- ing serious environmental pollution and posing a signifi- cant threat to the health of humans, soil, and sediments [2,3]. * Corresponding author. OPEN ACCESS