Potential application of fungal biosorption and/or bioaccumulation for the bioremediation of wastewater contamination: A review

The environment pollution or contamination is a serious problem, a great deal of research is being undertaken to combat contaminants such as xenobiotic and recalcitrant compounds, particularly heavy metals, dyes, phenolic compounds and other recalcitrant pollutants produced by a wide range of industrial activities. These compounds have an adverse impact on the environment, particularly when generated by industrial processes and then disposed off without adequate treatment. Mycoremediation is defined as the use of fungi for bioremediation, especially degradation or retention of contaminants. Biosorption and bioaccumulation are two of the mechanisms by which fungi remove contaminants through mycelium. In many cases, these processes involve metabolization and even mineralization of these contaminants, corresponding to a biological contaminant removal system with great potential for use in bioremediation processes. The present review describes the unique characteristics of fungal mycelium that make it a biomaterial with potential applications in various fields of biotechnology, specifically evaluating its biosorption/bioaccumulation properties and potential application for the bioremediation of different water-borne contaminants. This review focus on the researches conducted on the bioremediation of inorganic and organic pollutants, the mechanisms involved in the process, and the main environmental factors affecting it. Moreover, kinetics and equilibrium modeling of the removal efficiency achieved via biosorption/bioaccumulation is analyzed in order to better understand these processes and overcome some of the technical barriers to their large-scale application in the mycoremediation of wastewater.