Xeno-Fungusphere: Fungal-Enhanced Microbial Fuel Cells for Agricultural Remediation with a Focus on Medicinal Plants
The xeno-fungusphere, a novel microbial ecosystem formed by integrating exogenous fungi, indigenous soil microbiota, and electroactive microorganisms within microbial fuel cells (MFCs), offers a transformative approach for agricultural remediation and medicinal plant conservation. By leveraging fung...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| author | Da-Cheng Hao Xuanqi Li Yaoxuan Wang Jie Li Chengxun Li Peigen Xiao |
| author_facet | Da-Cheng Hao Xuanqi Li Yaoxuan Wang Jie Li Chengxun Li Peigen Xiao |
| author_sort | Da-Cheng Hao |
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| description | The xeno-fungusphere, a novel microbial ecosystem formed by integrating exogenous fungi, indigenous soil microbiota, and electroactive microorganisms within microbial fuel cells (MFCs), offers a transformative approach for agricultural remediation and medicinal plant conservation. By leveraging fungal enzymatic versatility (e.g., laccases, cytochrome P450s) and conductive hyphae, this system achieves dual benefits. First, it enables efficient degradation of recalcitrant agrochemicals, such as haloxyfop-P, with a removal efficiency of 97.9% (vs. 72.4% by fungi alone) and a 27.6% reduction in activation energy. This is driven by a bioelectric field (0.2–0.5 V/cm), which enhances enzymatic activity and accelerates electron transfer. Second, it generates bioelectricity, up to 9.3 μW/cm<sup>2</sup>, demonstrating real-world applicability. In medicinal plant soils, xeno-fungusphere MFCs restore soil health by stabilizing the pH, enriching dehydrogenase activity, and promoting nutrient cycling, thereby mitigating agrochemical-induced inhibition of secondary metabolite synthesis (e.g., ginsenosides, taxol). Field trials show 97.9% herbicide removal in 60 days, outperforming conventional methods. Innovations, such as adaptive electrodes, engineered strains, and phytoremediation-integrated systems, have been used to address soil and fungal limitations. This technology bridges sustainable agriculture and bioenergy recovery, offering the dual benefits of soil detoxification and enhanced crop quality. Future IoT-enabled monitoring and circular economy integration promise scalable, precision-based applications for global agroecological resilience. |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-252b6d92ef09457a834e1b584407e2352025-08-20T03:24:29ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-06-01156139210.3390/agronomy15061392Xeno-Fungusphere: Fungal-Enhanced Microbial Fuel Cells for Agricultural Remediation with a Focus on Medicinal PlantsDa-Cheng Hao0Xuanqi Li1Yaoxuan Wang2Jie Li3Chengxun Li4Peigen Xiao5Biotechnology Institute, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, ChinaBiotechnology Institute, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, ChinaBiotechnology Institute, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, ChinaBiotechnology Institute, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, ChinaBiotechnology Institute, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, ChinaInstitute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100193, ChinaThe xeno-fungusphere, a novel microbial ecosystem formed by integrating exogenous fungi, indigenous soil microbiota, and electroactive microorganisms within microbial fuel cells (MFCs), offers a transformative approach for agricultural remediation and medicinal plant conservation. By leveraging fungal enzymatic versatility (e.g., laccases, cytochrome P450s) and conductive hyphae, this system achieves dual benefits. First, it enables efficient degradation of recalcitrant agrochemicals, such as haloxyfop-P, with a removal efficiency of 97.9% (vs. 72.4% by fungi alone) and a 27.6% reduction in activation energy. This is driven by a bioelectric field (0.2–0.5 V/cm), which enhances enzymatic activity and accelerates electron transfer. Second, it generates bioelectricity, up to 9.3 μW/cm<sup>2</sup>, demonstrating real-world applicability. In medicinal plant soils, xeno-fungusphere MFCs restore soil health by stabilizing the pH, enriching dehydrogenase activity, and promoting nutrient cycling, thereby mitigating agrochemical-induced inhibition of secondary metabolite synthesis (e.g., ginsenosides, taxol). Field trials show 97.9% herbicide removal in 60 days, outperforming conventional methods. Innovations, such as adaptive electrodes, engineered strains, and phytoremediation-integrated systems, have been used to address soil and fungal limitations. This technology bridges sustainable agriculture and bioenergy recovery, offering the dual benefits of soil detoxification and enhanced crop quality. Future IoT-enabled monitoring and circular economy integration promise scalable, precision-based applications for global agroecological resilience.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/6/1392xeno-funguspheremicrobial fuel cellmedicinal plantorganic pollutantsoil remediation |
| spellingShingle | Da-Cheng Hao Xuanqi Li Yaoxuan Wang Jie Li Chengxun Li Peigen Xiao Xeno-Fungusphere: Fungal-Enhanced Microbial Fuel Cells for Agricultural Remediation with a Focus on Medicinal Plants Agronomy xeno-fungusphere microbial fuel cell medicinal plant organic pollutant soil remediation |
| title | Xeno-Fungusphere: Fungal-Enhanced Microbial Fuel Cells for Agricultural Remediation with a Focus on Medicinal Plants |
| title_full | Xeno-Fungusphere: Fungal-Enhanced Microbial Fuel Cells for Agricultural Remediation with a Focus on Medicinal Plants |
| title_fullStr | Xeno-Fungusphere: Fungal-Enhanced Microbial Fuel Cells for Agricultural Remediation with a Focus on Medicinal Plants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Xeno-Fungusphere: Fungal-Enhanced Microbial Fuel Cells for Agricultural Remediation with a Focus on Medicinal Plants |
| title_short | Xeno-Fungusphere: Fungal-Enhanced Microbial Fuel Cells for Agricultural Remediation with a Focus on Medicinal Plants |
| title_sort | xeno fungusphere fungal enhanced microbial fuel cells for agricultural remediation with a focus on medicinal plants |
| topic | xeno-fungusphere microbial fuel cell medicinal plant organic pollutant soil remediation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/6/1392 |
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