Mycoremediation: Expunging environmental pollutants

Author: mycolabadmin
4/9/2020
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Summary

Fungi can be used to clean up environmental pollution from industrial waste, pesticides, and heavy metals. Unlike expensive chemical treatments, fungal mycoremediation is cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Fungi produce natural enzymes that break down harmful pollutants into harmless substances, making it a promising solution for protecting soil and water contamination.

Background

Environmental pollution from industrial, agricultural, and household wastes poses serious threats to human health and ecosystems. Current physical and chemical remediation methods are expensive, produce toxic byproducts, and are ineffective for low-concentration but highly toxic chemicals. Mycoremediation, using fungi for environmental remediation, offers a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative.

Objective

This review summarizes the role of various fungal species in degrading multiple classes of environmental pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, agricultural chemicals, pharmaceutical wastes, and other recalcitrant compounds. The review aims to elucidate mechanisms of mycoremediation and propose future strategies to improve remediation efficiency.

Results

Multiple fungal species demonstrated capability to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, phthalates, dyes, and cyanotoxins. Ligninolytic enzymes (laccase, lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase) and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases play crucial roles in pollutant degradation. Indigenous fungi from contaminated sites show enhanced tolerance and adaptation.

Conclusion

Mycoremediation represents an economical and effective strategy for removing various recalcitrant and toxic environmental pollutants. While underlying mechanisms require further research, evidence supports fungi as promising candidates for large-scale bioremediation in bioreactors. Future optimization of bioreactor conditions and genetic improvement of fungi could enhance remediation efficiency.

Published in:Biotechnol Rep (Amst),
Study Type:Review,
Source: 32617263