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

Summary

This research compared two approaches to cleaning landfill leachate using fungi: using fungi naturally found in the polluted water versus using well-studied fungi species from laboratory collections. Scientists tested how effectively these fungi could remove color and toxins from contaminated wastewater. The study found that both types of fungi worked reasonably well, but through different mechanisms—some fungi absorbed the pollutants while others chemically broke them down using special enzymes.

Background

Landfill leachates pose environmental and health risks due to high ammonia concentrations, recalcitrant xenobiotics, and low BOD/COD ratios that make conventional treatment ineffective. Autochthonous fungi from contaminated wastewater are adapted to pollutant toxicity and competition with other microorganisms. Fungal extracellular enzymes with non-selective catalytic activity offer potential for integrating leachate depuration processes.

Objective

To compare the effectiveness of five autochthonous fungal strains isolated from landfill leachate with five allochthonous strains from well-characterized collections for treating crude landfill leachate and wastewater treatment plant effluent. The study evaluated decolorization, enzymatic activity, biomass growth, ecotoxicity removal, and the effect of biomass immobilization on polyurethane foam.

Results

The best decolorization (60%) was achieved by Porostereum spadiceum MUT 1585, Pseudallescheria boydii MUT 721, and MUT 1269. The allochthonous P. spadiceum showed gradual decolorization through biodegradation involving peroxidases, while autochthonous strains primarily used biosorption with toxicity reduction up to 100%. Biomass immobilization enhanced enzymatic activity but reduced decolorization performance and limited growth in fast-growing fungi.

Conclusion

Autochthonous fungal strains proved to be valid candidates for landfill leachate bioremediation, operating mainly through biosorption. However, robust and versatile allochthonous strains from well-characterized collections achieved comparable or superior bioremediation yields. The study highlights that strain selection is more important than species designation, and careful evaluation of mechanisms is necessary for optimizing bioremediation applications in wastewater treatment plants.
  • Published in:Life (Basel),
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: PMID: 29973501, DOI: 10.3390/life8030027
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