Potential of non-ligninolytic fungi in bioremediation of chlorinated and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

• Published in: New biotechnology Vol. 32; no. 6; pp. 620 - 628
• Main Authors: Marco-Urrea, Ernest, García-Romera, Inmaculada, Aranda, Elisabet
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 25.12.2015
• Subjects: Ascomycota; Biodegradation, Environmental; Bioreactors - microbiology; bioremediation; chlorinated hydrocarbons; enzymes; Feasibility Studies; Fungi - metabolism; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated - isolation & purification; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated - metabolism; Lignin - metabolism; Oxidation-Reduction; pollutants; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - isolation & purification; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - metabolism; soil water; Water Pollutants, Chemical - isolation & purification; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water Purification - methods; white-rot fungi; Zygomycota
• ISSN: 1871-6784; 1876-4347; 1876-4347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2015.01.005

•Non-ligninolytic fungi may play an important role in bioremediation processes.•Studies show that they can degrade chlorinated and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.•They may enhance bioavailability and biodegradability by their oxidation.•However the degradation pathways and the enzymatic mechanisms are little known.•This review describes some non-ligninolytic fungi involved in such processes. In previous decades, white-rot fungi as bioremediation agents have been the subjects of scientific research due to the potential use of their unspecific oxidative enzymes. However, some non-white-rot fungi, mainly belonging to the Ascomycota and Zygomycota phylum, have demonstrated their potential in the enzymatic transformation of environmental pollutants, thus overcoming some of the limitations observed in white-rot fungi with respect to growth in neutral pH, resistance to adverse conditions and the capacity to surpass autochthonous microorganisms. Despite their presence in so many soil and water environments, little information exists on the enzymatic mechanisms and degradation pathways involved in the transformation of hydrocarbons by these fungi. This review describes the bioremediation potential of non-ligninolytic fungi with respect to chlorinated hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and also shows known conversion pathways and the prospects for future research.