<i>Ganoderma lucidum</i> Immobilized on Wood Demonstrates High Persistence During the Removal of OPFRs in a Trickle-Bed Bioreactor

Emerging pollutants such as organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) pose a critical threat to environmental and human health, while conventional wastewater treatments often fail to remove them. This study addresses this issue by evaluating the bioremediation potential of white-rot fungi for the rem...

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Main Authors: Shamim Tayar, Javier Villagra, Núria Gaju, Maira Martínez-Alonso, Eduardo Beltrán-Flores, Montserrat Sarrà
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Journal of Fungi
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/2/85
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Summary:Emerging pollutants such as organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) pose a critical threat to environmental and human health, while conventional wastewater treatments often fail to remove them. This study addresses this issue by evaluating the bioremediation potential of white-rot fungi for the removal of two OPFRs: tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and tributyl phosphate (TBP). Three fungal species—<i>Ganoderma lucidum</i>, <i>Trametes versicolor</i>, and <i>Phanerochaete velutina</i>—were screened for their degradation capabilities. Among these, <i>G. lucidum</i> and <i>T. versicolor</i> demonstrated removal efficiencies exceeding 99% for TBP, while removal rates for TCEP were significantly lower, with a maximum of 30%. The exploration of the enzyme role showed that cytochrome P450 is involved in the degradation while the extracellular laccase is not involved. Continuous batch experiments were performed using a trickle-bed reactor (TBR) operating under non-sterile conditions, a setting that closely resembles real-world wastewater treatment environments. <i>G. lucidum</i> was immobilized on oak wood chips, and the removal efficiencies were measured to be 85.3% and 54.8% for TBP and TCEP, respectively, over 10 cycles. Microbial community analysis showed that <i>G. lucidum</i> remained the dominant species in the reactor. These findings demonstrate the efficacy of fungal-based trickle-bed bioreactors, offering a sustainable and efficient alternative for addressing environmental pollution caused by highly recalcitrant pollutants.
ISSN:2309-608X