Aspergillus niger as an eco-friendly agent for potassium release from K- bearing minerals: Isolation, screening and...

The potential of Aspergillus niger, to enhance non-exchangeable potassium (K⁺) release from mineral structures were investigated as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional chemical fertilizers. Optimizing the culture medium for maximum K⁺ release, alongside identifying potential mechanisms of action of the A. niger including the production of various organic acids and pH reduction in the minerals feldspar and phlogopite, were among the primary objectives of the present study. K⁺ dissolution from feldspar and phlogopite in the presence of Aspergillus niger were examined through a two-step experiment; impact of different carbon sources (glucose, sucrose, and fructose) on K⁺ release using the Plackett-Burman design (PBD) with 12 experimental runs and effect of other independent variables including pH (ranging from 5 to 10), carbon concentration (3-12.3 g l^-1), and incubation time (5-18 days) on K⁺ release using the central composite design (CCD). Our results indicated that the PBD demonstrated a strong predictive capacity (RMSE = 0.012-0.018 g l^-1 and R² = 0.85-0.89) for K⁺ release. According to the CCD model, pH exerted a significant positive influence on increasing soluble K⁺ release (P < 0.001). The highest levels of K⁺ release (157.8 and 175.3 mg l^-1 in feldspar and phlogopite, respectively) were observed at the central levels (0) of time and carbon source, and at the +α level (+1.68) of pH. Furthermore, based on the CCD model, the optimal conditions for achieving high K⁺ release from feldspar and phlogopite in a medium were pHs of 10.36 and 10.31, sucrose concentrations of 11.23 and 11.32 g l^-1, and incubation times of 15 and 18 days, respectively. The determination coefficients of the CCD model indicated that 89.5% and 92.6% of the changes in soluble K⁺ for feldspar and phlogopite, could be explained by this model, respectively. In the current study, the production of organic acids and the resulting pH reduction, along with the reduction in mineral particle size in feldspar and phlogopite, were identified as potential mechanisms influencing the enhancement of potassium solubility. The predominant acids in both feldspar and phlogopite were lactic acid (70.9 and 69.15 mg l^-1) and citric acid (40.48 and 22.93 mg l^-1), although the production levels of organic acids differed in the two minerals. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of A. niger to proficiently release non-exchangeable potassium from mineral matrices, indicating its promising potential in agricultural applications.