Enhanced biodegradation of fluorinated pharmaceutical by Aspergillus flavus and Cunninghamella elegans biofilms: kinetics and mechanisms

Author: mycolabadmin
9/14/2025
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Summary

This study demonstrates that two types of fungi, Aspergillus flavus and Cunninghamella elegans, can effectively remove persistent pharmaceutical pollution from wastewater when grown as biofilms on foam carriers. The fungi achieved removal rates of 92-98% for three common medications (atorvastatin, ciprofloxacin, and fluoxetine) much faster than previously reported methods. Unlike traditional fungal treatments that depend on lignin, these fungi can work in diverse environments, making them practical for wastewater treatment plants and offering a sustainable biological solution to pharmaceutical pollution.

Background

Pharmaceutical compounds are persistent emerging pollutants detected in wastewater effluents and aquatic environments, with fluorinated pharmaceuticals being particularly resistant to conventional treatment due to the exceptional stability of carbon-fluorine bonds. While white-rot fungi have been studied for pharmaceutical degradation, their efficiency varies significantly and they depend on lignin availability, limiting applicability in diverse environments.

Objective

To investigate the capacity of Aspergillus flavus and Cunninghamella elegans to degrade three persistent fluorinated pharmaceuticals (atorvastatin, ciprofloxacin, and fluoxetine) using an innovative biofilm-based approach with polyurethane foam carriers in fixed and moving configurations.

Results

C. elegans biofilms achieved 97.3% removal of atorvastatin and 97.7% removal of ciprofloxacin, while A. flavus achieved 92.4% fluoxetine reduction. Both fungal systems demonstrated pseudo-first-order kinetics with exceptionally short half-lives (1.0-1.7 days), surpassing white-rot fungi. Biofilm-based systems consistently outperformed carrier-free cultures, with adsorption contributing less than 10% to overall removal, indicating enzymatic degradation as the primary mechanism.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that A. flavus and C. elegans biofilms on PUF carriers provide an effective, lignin-independent biological solution for removing persistent fluorinated pharmaceuticals, with species-specific characteristics determining performance. These findings present a promising alternative to white-rot fungi for wastewater treatment applications and suggest potential for scalable fungal bioremediation technologies targeting recalcitrant pharmaceutical contaminants.

Published in:Biodegradation,
Study Type:Experimental Study,
Source: PMID: 40946246, DOI: 10.1007/s10532-025-10182-w