Isolation of Fungal Strains from Municipal Wastewater for the Removal of Pharmaceutical Substances

Abstract

Fungi have been shown to be promising candidates to be used in removal of pharmaceutical compounds during wastewater treatment processes. However, fungal growth, including removal efficiency, can be affected by several factors, such as temperature and the pH. The ability of fungal isolates to grow in the presence of carbamazepine, diclofenac, ibuprofen, and sulfamethoxazole was tested. Removal efficiency results indicated that a fungal isolate of Aspergillus luchuensis can completely (>99.9%) remove diclofenac from a synthetic wastewater media without a pH correction within 10 days of incubation. Furthermore, the results of the biosorption test for A. luchuensis indicate that this isolate uses the biosorption mechanism as a strategy to remove diclofenac. Finally, the results demonstrate that A. luchuensis can remove >98% of diclofenac in non-sterile wastewater without a pH correction immediately after biomass inoculation on biofilm carriers while Trametes versicolor requires an incubation period of at least 24 h to completely remove diclofenac. Therefore, this isolate is a promising candidate for use in removal of pharmaceutical compounds from wastewater with typical pH 7.8, minimizing a requirement of the pH correction.

Evaluation of the Potential of Sewage Sludge Mycobiome to Degrade High Diclofenac and Bisphenol-A Concentrations

“…Several studies have demonstrated the participation of oxidase enzymes in the biodegradation/biotransformation of BPA, in particular fungi that produce laccases [ 77 , 78 ]. Daâssi et al [ 79 ] reported the efficiency of laccase from Coriolopsis gallica , Bjerkandera adusta, and T. versicolor in the biodegradation of BPA; C. gallica had the highest BPA removal rate (91%).…”

“…374BPA. However, we cannot discard the participation or contribution of the xenobiotic de-375 toxification systems in this process as we stated for DFC degradation.376Several studies have demonstrated the participation of oxidase enzymes in the bio-377 degradation/biotransformation of BPA, in particular fungi that produce laccases[77,78].378 Daâssi et al [79] reported the efficiency of laccase from Coriolopsis gallica, Bjerkandera adu-379 sta, and T. versicolor in the biodegradation of BPA; C. gallica had the highest BPA removal…”

The Use of TiO2 as a Disinfectant in Water Sanitation Applications

“…This focuses attention on water treatment processes and raises questions on the lack of regulation for this biological pollutant. Although research has found that fungi can be useful in removing pharmaceutical compounds owing to their enzymatic processes, which can increase yields and enhance life cycles [34,35], this is not reason enough to tolerate their unconditional presence. The public health problem that they potentially represent, coupled with the fact that there is currently no regulation at a global level in the area of water treatment [34], and the scarcity in pathogenicity studies attributed to these organisms are causes of concern.…”

Electrooxidation of the Paracetamol on Boron Doped Diamond Anode Modified by Gold Particles

“…Among these organic contaminants, involved in chemical pollution phenomena are antibiotics, analgesics, antiinflammatories, contrast agents or antiepileptics and pyretics. The latter are introduced into the environment through anthropogenic activities: industrial discharges, animal manure, wastewater from various treatments, waste and unused drugs caused by runoff from landfills household waste or waste water [3][4][5]. Recent studies claim that hospital wastewater is the pharmaceuticals main source in the aquatic environment [3,6,7].…”