Removal of Emerging Pollutants by Fungi

Abstract

Antibiotics comprise a wide group of emerging pollutants. The growing concern about the presence of antibiotics in the environment is related to their potential of polluting both the aquatic and soil environments; nonetheless, their presence in these matrices is not properly legislated. This chapter shows some of the latest research efforts at understanding the elimination of antibiotics using whole cells and lignin modifying enzymes from white rot fungi (WRF). The first section describes some general aspects of WRF and their enzymatic complexes, emphasizing their role in the transformation of organopollutants. The second section focuses on the strategies employed for the elimination of antibiotics by fungal mediated processes with whole cells or enzymes, including the description of different configurations and removal data from synthetic wastewater and real matrices. Finally, ecotoxicological considerations regarding the potential detoxification of polluted matrices are included.