• Blog
  • Wastewater Testing
  • Bioaugmentation Applications
  • Useful Information
  • About Us
BIOLOGICAL WASTE TREATMENT EXPERT
Contact Us

Soil and water biological treatment with white-rot fungi (P. chrysosporium) - Great potential or novelty?

6/21/2016

 
PicturePB James Lindsey at Ecology of Commanster
Back when I started working in bioremediation and wastewater treatment, much research was conducted on using various white-rot fungi to biologically treat resistant xenobiotic compounds and decolorize paper mill and textile wastewater. As I have never seen large scale application of this technology, I wanted to see if there was any new novel research and ways to improve on early methods.

Background on P. chrysosporium
Like other white-rot fungi, P. chrysosporium is a basidiomycete fungi which produces a number of complex extracellular enzymes that breakdown lignin. In nature, the white-rot fungi are one of the primary decomposers of wood. What is most interesting for waste treatment is the ability of the lignin peroxidase and glyoxal oxidase to act on other pollutants (non-specific enzyme activity). 

Early test involved using white-rot fungi to decolorize pulp mill effluent where lignin creates highly colored water. In doing bench tests, researchers found the fungal enzymes also dechlorinated some of the halogenated organics found in chlorine  bleached pulp wastewater. This started a whole new area of research into using white-rot fungi to bioremediate such  compounds as:
  • DDT & Lindane
  • PCP (Pentachlorophenol) & Creosote - wood preserving wastes
  • PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls)
  • Dioxins
While the white-rot enzymes did initiate decomposition of many recalcitrant and chlorinated compounds, the challenge was how to get the enzyme to the substrate. Work on producing enzymes off-site and adding to contaminated soils and water proved expensive and has not been commercialized to any extent. The other option was to grow the white-rot fungi on wood chips and mix with the soil or water to be treated. While some sites were treated in this manner, it has never seemed to enter wide usage.

Revisiting the use of white-rot
With increased focus on decoloriziation and degrading many trace pharmaceutical products in wastewater, it may be time to reevaluate white-rot. Since target waste treatment is via a cometabolic pathway, we can use a relative inert carrier to hold/feed the white-rot cultures. The enzymes produced by the white-rot organisms can then cometabolize many of the problem trace xenobiotics.

Key items for research are:
  • Finding an ideal immobilizing matrix for the fungi - alternative to wood chips
  • Discover ways to optimize extracelluar enzyme production through carrier, nutrient, or environmental changes
  • Evaluate how to put a biofilter with white-rot fungi to polish biologically treated waters to remove trae compounds

Knowledge Sourcing link
12/10/2020 05:03:28 am

Rising awareness regarding air pollution, organic materials, rising prevalence of respiratory disorders, and other health hazards are predicted to drive the growth of the global lignin market.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Erik Rumbaugh has been involved in biological waste treatment for over 20 years. He has worked with industrial and municipal wastewater  facilities to ensure optimal performance of their treatment systems. He is a founder of Aster Bio (www.asterbio.com) specializing in biological waste treatment.

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    RSS Feed

    Click to set custom HTML

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from Picturepest, marcoverch, perzonseowebbyra, Picturepest, Picturepest, dsearls, dungodung, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, aqua.mech, vastateparksstaff, hile, Aaron Volkening, amishsteve, Neil DeMaster, mklwong88, KOMUnews, Picturepest, kaibara87