Bioremediation of waste by yeast strains

Abstract

Over the past two decades, interest in pollutant removal by yeasts has grown substantially. Yeasts can remove high amounts of pollutants at low production costs under non-sterile conditions. This work presents a compilation of the studies carried out regarding the potential application of yeasts in the treatment of wastewater. For example, a summary is presented on data about various yeast strains that are used to treat wastewater. The study will help the decision-making process for the selection of yeast for a type of wastewater and support research efforts by acquiring an overview of advancements in this area. Yeast treatment is versatile and has outstanding adaptability to varying treatment conditions. The effectiveness of yeast in treating wastewater is influenced by multiple factors. Yeast technology could potentially be retrofitted to existing activated sludge processes or be used instead of bacteria. Within its characteristics we can observe tolerance to low pH (3.0-5.0), high salinity, high organic loads, antibiotics, and survive in up to 12% v/v alcohol mixtures. In fact, using low pH for yeast cultivation reduces bacterial contamination and supports yeast domination under non-sterile conditions. Laboratory-scale trials for yeast wastewater treatment have shown improvement over the past two decades; however, efficiencies differ according to the type of wastewater. In general, yeast offers several benefits compared to traditional microbial treatment methods, especially in its capacity to effectively process diverse organic carbon sources. However, it still must be proven to be an effective technology at an industrial scale.