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Bioremediation of Landfill Leachate with Fungi: Autochthonous vs. Allochthonous Strains

Summary

This research investigated using fungi to clean up contaminated water from landfills, comparing naturally-present fungi to laboratory-selected strains. The study shows that both types of fungi can effectively remove pollutants from landfill wastewater, though they work in different ways. Some absorb the pollutants while others break them down using special enzymes. Impacts on everyday life: – Provides new methods for treating contaminated water from landfills – Helps reduce environmental pollution from waste management facilities – Offers more sustainable alternatives to chemical treatment methods – Could lead to lower costs for wastewater treatment – Demonstrates nature-based solutions for environmental problems

Background

Landfill leachates pose significant environmental and health risks due to their high concentrations of ammonia, recalcitrant xenobiotics, and low BOD/COD ratios, which make them difficult to treat in conventional wastewater treatment plants. Traditional treatments are often ineffective at removing dark coloration and toxicity from these effluents.

Objective

To compare the effectiveness of autochthonous (native) and allochthonous (non-native) fungal strains in treating landfill leachate and its effluent, evaluating their performance in terms of decolorization, enzymatic activity, biomass growth and ecotoxicity removal. Additionally, to assess the impact of biomass immobilization on polyurethane foam (PUF) cube for potential scaled-up applications.

Results

The crude leachate proved too toxic for fungal growth. In effluent treatment, autochthonous Pseudallescheria boydii strains achieved rapid decolorization (up to 60%) mainly through biosorption, while allochthonous Porostereum spadiceum MUT 1585 showed comparable decolorization through biodegradation involving enzymatic activity. Biomass immobilization enhanced enzyme production but did not improve decolorization efficiency. Toxicity responses varied among strains and test organisms, with some treatments achieving complete toxicity removal while others increased toxicity.

Conclusion

Both autochthonous and allochthonous fungi demonstrated potential for landfill leachate treatment, though through different mechanisms. Autochthonous strains achieved rapid decolorization through biosorption, while allochthonous strains showed effective biodegradation through enzymatic activity. Well-characterized allochthonous strains can match or exceed the performance of native strains, though implementation considerations must include pathogenicity risk for some species.
  • Published in:Life (Basel),
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: 10.3390/life8030027
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