Síntese de nanofibras de poli(álcool vinílico) incorporadas com nanopartículas de óxidos de ferro e enzimas fúngicas para a nanobiorremediação de solos contaminados com derivados de petróleo

Abstract

The remediation of soils contaminated by petroleum derivatives represents one of the greatest challenges in the environmental area and motivates research that seeks more efficient with lower environmental impacts. In this context, nanobioremediation is a strategy that combines the application of nanoparticles to bioremediation for an efficient and sustainable remediation. The present study deals with the development of an integrated technique of nanobioremediation to be applied in soils contaminated with petroleum derivatives. In particular, the study aims at the synthesis of poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers (PVA) by solution blow spinning incorporated with iron oxide nanoparticles biosynthesized by fungi and fungal enzymes. Thus, the degradation process takes place at two distinct stages of the nanofiber’s lifespan: in its entirety, the degradation of petroleum derivatives occurs through the enzymes immobilized in the nanofiber, while the natural biodegradation of PVA caused by soil moisture itself allows the slow release of nanoparticles capable to remedy soils contaminated by petroleum derived products. The strategy aims to enhance the process of degradation of petroleum derivatives in the soil in an eco-friendly way and without introducing microorganisms into the contaminated site. The iron oxide nanoparticles had an average size of 14nm. The nanofibers showed a mean diameter of 213nm, 200nm and 267nm for pure PVA, PVA with fungal filtrate and for PVA with fungal filtrate and iron oxide nanoparticles, respectively. The nanofibers produced in this study were analyzed regarding their degradation potential of diesel oil. The integration of strategies can be thought of as a way of diminishing the issues associated with remediation, as integrated approaches can overcome the disadvantages individual technologies and provide better results. Therefore, this research resulted in an advanced biomaterial with great potential to be used in soils contaminated with petroleum derivatives.