Fungal Biosorption Research Articles

Fungi as a Sustainable Solution for Heavy Metal Removal in Wastewater Treatment

This study investigates the ability of non-living fungal biomass from Aspergillus terreus, Rhizopus oligosporus, and Rhizopus arrhizus to reduce heavy metal concentrations in wastewater. Using non-living fungal blocks, the experiment targeted the removal of lead (0.70 ppm), cadmium (0.110 ppm), and copper (0.80 ppm) from wastewater at the Al-Dur district sewage treatment station. Conducted under controlled conditions (25 degrees Celsius, pH 6.5-7.6) over a 24-hour period, the results demonstrated significant reductions in metal concentrations, with statistical significance at P<0.01. These findings suggest that non-living fungal biomass could be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative for heavy metal remediation in wastewater treatment. Highlights: Fungal biomass effectively reduces lead, cadmium, copper quickly. Results statistically significant, demonstrating reliability. Sustainable, cost-effective alternative to chemical treatments. Keywords: Heavy Elements, Aspergillus Terries, Rhizopus Oligosporium, Fungal Biosorption, Non-Living Biomass

Influential lead uptake using dried and inactivated-fungal biomass obtained from Panaeolus papilionaceus: biological activity, equilibrium, and mechanism

AbstractIn this study, the use of fungal (Panaeolus papilionaceus) biomass as a biosorbent was investigated to effectively remove Pb2+ ions from aquatic medium. The removal of Pb2+ ions using a fungal biosorbent was examined in a batch system in terms of initial solution pH, temperature, time, and initial Pb2+ concentration. Optimal operating conditions for biosorption of Pb2+ ions; pH: 4.5, T: 25 °C, and t: 24 h. The max biosorption capacity for Pb2+ ions was found to be 31.2 mg g−1 from the Langmuir model. Thermodynamic studies showed that Pb2+ ions biosorption into fungal biomass was possible, spontaneous, and endothermic. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity and antibiofilm activity of the extract of fungus were also investigated. It was determined that the fungal extract did not have antimicrobial properties. On the other hand, the extract has been shown to have the potential to prevent biofilm formation. 1 mg of the extract prevented the biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus by 87.85%. It has been observed that the biosorption mechanism of Pb2+ ions into fungal biomass includes the steps of surface biosorption, film diffusion, and intra-particle diffusion.

The Metallotolerance and Biosorption of As(V) and Cr(VI) by Black Fungi.

A collection of 34 melanized fungi isolated previously from anthropogenic contaminated sites were assessed for their tolerance to toxic concentrations of As(V) and Cr(VI) anions. Three strains of the species Cyphellophora olivacea, Rhinocladiella similis, and Exophiala mesophila (Chaetothyriales) were identified as hyper-metallotolerant, with estimated IC50 values that ranged from 11.2 to 16.9 g L-1 for As(V) and from 2.0 to 3.4 g L-1 for Cr(VI). E. mesophila and R. similis were selected for subsequent assays on their biosorption capacity and kinetics under different pH values (4.0 and 6.5) and types of biomass (active and dead cells and melanin extracts). The fungal biosorption of As(V) was relatively ineffective, but significant removal of Cr(VI) was observed from liquid cultures. The Langmuir model with second-order kinetics showed maximum sorption capacities of 39.81 mg Cr6+ g-1 for R. similis and 95.26 mg Cr6+ g-1 for E. mesophila on a dry matter basis, respectively, while the kinetic constant for these two fungi was 1.32 × 10-6 and 1.39 × 10-7 g (mg Cr6+ min)-1. Similar experiments with melanin extracts of E. mesophila showed maximum sorption capacities of 544.84 mg Cr6+ g-1 and a kinetic constant of 1.67 × 10-6 g (mg Cr6+ min)-1. These results were compared to bibliographic data, suggesting that metallotolerance in black fungi might be the result of an outer cell-wall barrier to reduce the diffusion of toxic metals into the cytoplasm, as well as the inner cell wall biosorption of leaked metals by melanin.

Studying the effects of Aspergillus niger (MF431834) dead biomass on water defluoridation in batch and bed column: Adsorption kinetics, characterization, genotoxicity studies

Fluoride pollution in water caused by biological and anthropogenic activities has been recorded as a significant global issue, posing severe risks to the ecosystem. The present study focuses on the isolated fungus Aspergillus niger (MF431834)-dead biomass served as novel adsorbents for defluorination. The dead fungal mycelium of A. niger was used to study the biosorption of fluoride from an aqueous medium while varying the pH, fluoride concentrations, bio-sorbent concentrations, temperatures, contact periods, and coexisting ions. After the batch experimentation, the maximum fluoride adsorption capacity of 93.85 % was achieved by 0.2 g dosage, a 50-min equilibrium time was predicted as a contact time, considerable fluoride adsorption was observed at 15 mg/L of initial fluoride concentration, the maximum fluoride adsorption of 92 % was achieved by pH 2.0, and NaOH was the best desorption agent. The biosorption of fluoride ion well pseudo-second-order (R20.99) compared to pseudo-first-order and the biosorption equilibrium data were more suited by the Langmuir isotherm than the Freund isotherm model. Thermodynamic parameters such as ΔG°, ΔS°, and ΔH° the biosorption of fluoride ions by endothermic nature. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy examine the biosorption of fluoride by fungal bio-sorbent. Fluoride removal was also significantly attained in the column study with bio-sorbent. The findings demonstrated that A. cepa subjected to untreated polluted fluoride water exhibited chromosome abnormalities, including disorganized, disturbed metaphase, chromosomal displacement in anaphase, aberrant telophase, spindle disturbances, and binucleate cells. The highest chromosomal aberrations and mitotic inhibition were found in roots exposed to contaminated fluoride water. The novelty of this research can be used as a biomarker to identify the genotoxic effects of fluoride water contamination on biota. Hence, the native fungus A. niger exhibits as an effective adsorbent for fluoride elimination, being valuable in the theory and practical management of environmental pollution.

Biosorption performance of the multi-metal tolerant fungus Aspergillus sp. for removal of some metallic nanoparticles from aqueous solutions

The wide spread of nanotechnology applications currently carries with it the possibility of polluting the environment with the residues of these nanomaterials, especially those in the metallic form. Therefore, it is necessary to study the possibility of treating and removing various nanoscale metal pollutants in environmentally friendly ways. The present study focused on the isolation of multi-metal tolerant fungi to be applied in the bioremoval of Zn, Fe, Se, and Ag nanoparticles as potential nanoscale metal pollutants. Aspergillus sp. has been isolated as multi-metal tolerant fingus and investigated in the bioremoval of targeted nanometals from their aquoues solutions. The effect of biomass age, pH, and contact time was studied to determine the optimal biosorption conditions for fungal pellets towards metal NPs. The results showed a high percentage of fungal biosorption on the of two-day-old cells, which amounted to 39.3, 52.2, 91.7, and 76.8% of zinc, iron, selenium, and silver, respectively. The pH 7 was recorded the highest percentage of NPs removal for the four studied metals i.e. 38.8, 68.1, 80.4, and 82.0% of Zn-, Fe-, Se- and Ag-NPs, respectively. The contact time required between Aspergillus sp. and the metal nanoparticles to obtain the best adsorption was only 10 min in the case of Zn and Ag, but it was 40 min for both Fe and Se NPs. The efficiency of living fungal pellets in removing the four metallic NPs exceeded that of dead biomass by 1.8, 5.7, 2.5, and 2.5 folds for Zn, Fe, Se and Ag, respectively. However, utilization of dead fungal biomass for metallic NPs removal could be considered more applicable to the actual environmental applications.

Screening the heavy metal removal capacity of magnetically modified fungal biosorbent

Screening the heavy metal removal capacity of magnetically modified fungal biosorbent

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. Key words: Bioaccumulation, Biosorption, Fungi, Mycoremediation, Xenobiotics

Mycoremediation is a Potential Strategy for Environmental Clean-up of Heavy Metal: A Review

Living organisms are under serious threat from environmental contamination as because of the recent growth of industry. Heavy metals are dumped into the water body by many enterprises. Heavy metals can be harmful to humans, cause various diseases and endanger the aquatic ecosystem. Hence, removing heavy metals from wastewater is a difficult task. Because to its low cost, high biomass, and environmentally beneficial nature, mycoremediation—the biosorption of heavy metals using fungi is a commonly utilized method. Comparing fungal biomass to other biosorbents, it can be found more easily as an industrial waste product and offers benefits economically. The majority of fungi used to remove heavy metals don’t show pathogenicity and can be utilized with no problems regarding safety. A number of factors, including pH, metal ion concentration, biomass content, and temperature, have a significant impact on fungal biosorption. In addition to providing information on biosorption techniques and a functional group of fungi involved in the removal of various heavy metals, this review study focused on facts obtained and disseminated on numerous fungal adsorbents that are essential for heavy metal removal.

REDUCTION OF CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY EFFLUENT USING ASPERGILLUS NIGER

Textile industry effluents are among the most difficult to treat, due to the considerable amount of recalcitrant and toxic substances. Fungal biosorption is viewed as a valuable additional treatment for removing pollutants from textile industry wastewaters. In the present study, the efficiency of Aspergillus niger for chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction was tested against textile effluents having three dilutions i.e., 25%, 50%, 75% and raw effluent. The result showed that the fungal strain is a promising candidate for the reduction of COD in effluent and can be a cost effective solution to treat the textile industry effluents.

Fungal biosorption of the heavy metals chromium(VI) and nickel from industrial effluent-contaminated soil

Heavy metals are ubiquitous contaminants that have accompanied man since the earliest ancient times, and unlike other environmental pollutants, they are chemical elements that man does not create or destroy. In the present study, the aim was to determine the biosorption potential of heavy metal-tolerant fungi that were isolated from compost soil samples contaminated by industrial effluents. The isolation was performed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) media supplemented with heavy metals. Chromium-Cr(VI) and nickel-Ni. The most dominant fungal species were found to be Penicillium spp. This fungus was screened for its ability to tolerate heavy metals by the plate diffusion and broth method and was highly tolerant to fungal species. The fungi were assessed for their ability to remove heavy metals from the culture media, and the culture conditions for the fungus were experimentally optimized. The isolated Penicillium species was found to show maximum growth at 35°C with media pH 6 for an incubation period of 168 hours. The isolate was able to tolerate 60-70 ppm concentrations of heavy metals under normal conditions. The ability of the isolate to take up metal was very effective, as after 96 hrs of incubation, it was capable of removing approximately 93.8% of Cr(VI) and 95.6% of Ni from the culture media, and complete uptake was observed after a 144 hr incubation period. The molecular characterization revealed the only isolate to be Penicillium rubens (Accession no. LC536286). The morphological characteristics of this fungus make it capable of biosorption of heavy metals, imparting its bioremediation potential and economic importance.

A new soil microcosm to evaluate the Cd, Cu and Pb biosorption by Absidia cylindrospora

Fungi could be considered as an effective tool for treating metal pollution in soils because of their metal tolerance and biosorption capacity. While most of biosorption studies intended for bioremediation trials are carried out in liquid medium, this study presents the development of a new type of soil microcosm, designed to evaluate the fungal biosorption of metals in a solid medium. The research focused on the bioaugmentation with the fungus Absidia cylindrospora of a soil artificially contaminated by metals (Cd, Cu, and Pb). Soil microcosms were performed in layers, and a separation technique including a centrifugation step was developed. The results showed that the centrifugation step does not cause the leaching of metals from the soil. The developed procedure allows to effectively separate the mycelium from the soil at the end of the experiment. It leads to an accurate evaluation of the metal accumulated by the fungus, by better estimating the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) which was superior to 1 for the metals studied. In addition, Absidia cylindrospora was viable after 30 days experiment, and able to biosorb considerable amounts of the metals studied from the contaminated soil; it accumulates 171 mg.kg−1 of Cu, 146 mg.kg−1 of Cd and 119 mg.kg−1 of Pb. These results confirm the ability of the fungal strain to be used for bioremediation studies.

Fungal biosorption of cadmium(II) onto Fennelia nivea from aqueous solution: equilibrium, thermodynamics, and kinetics

Fungal biosorption of cadmium(II) onto Fennelia nivea from aqueous solution: equilibrium, thermodynamics, and kinetics

Optimization the removal of lead ions by fungi: Explanation of the mycosorption mechanism

The potential utilization of fungal biomass (Rhizopus arrhizus) as a biosorbent for the efficient removal of lead (Pb2+) ions from aqueous solutions was optimized in the current work. The maximum Pb2+ biosorption capacity of fungal biosorbent was 0.501 mol kg−1 at pH 4.0 and 25 ◦C. The biosorption process follows the intra-particle diffusion and pseudo-second-order rate kinetics. Thermodynamic studies showed that Pb2+ biosorption by this fungal biosorbent is spontaneous and endothermic. The fungus has good biosorption/desorption performance for Pb2+ ions according to desorption studies. The biosorption free energy calculated from the Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm showed that the biosorption process was accomplished chemically. Moreover, the mechanism of the Pb2+ biosorption on to the fungal biosorbent was evaluated by infrared spectral analysis coupled with pattern recognition techniques using Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The ATR-FTIR spectral analysis of the fungal biosorbent revealed changes in particular spectral bands emerging from functional groups of biomolecules. Possibly, these functional groups of biomolecules are active fungal biosorbent sites involved in the interaction with Pb2+ ions. Thus, the surface of the fungal biosorbent is attractive for the sorption of metal ions making the fungal biomass as an effective and efficient biosorbent for the removal of Pb2+ ions.

Extraction of Cu2+ and Co2+ by using Tricholoma populinum loaded onto Amberlite XAD-4

In this work, an alternative preconcentration process suggested based on using Tricholoma populinum as a fungal biosorbent for the sensitive preconcentration of Cu2+ and Co2+. Amberlite XAD-4 was utilized for the loading of the biomass in solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure. It was found that T. populinum loaded with XAD-4 resin was a selective biosorbent for the preconcentration of Cu2+ and Co2+. Experimental variables in SPE procedure such as pH, the flow rate of the sample, type and concentration of eluent, amount of T. populinum and of XAD-4 resin, sample volume, and potential interfering ion effect were studied. Surface functionalities of the metal-loaded and metal-unloaded biosorbent were determined by comparing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra and scanning electron microscopy images. Limit of detection values for Cu2+ and Co2+ were found as 0.034 and 0.019 ng mL−1, respectively. The linear range was found as 0.2–15 ng mL−1 for both analytes. Relative standard deviation values were found as lower than 3.0%. Certified reference materials were applied for process validation, and also, the concentrations of Co2+ and Cu2+ were investigated in real water, vegetable, and soil samples. So, the method developed could be utilized for the preconcentrations of Cu2+ and Co2+ for routine analysis. This method can be used as an inexpensive and accessible alternative to GF-AAS or ICP-MS methods.

Biosorption of Water Pollutants by Fungal Pellets

Fungal biosorption is an environmental biotechnology based on the ability of the fungal cell wall to concentrate harmful water pollutants. Among its advantages are its simplicity, high efficiency, flexibility of operation, and low cost. The biosorptive performance of fungal pellets is getting growing attention since they offer process advantages over the culture of disperse mycelia, such as an enhanced biomass separation, and a high resilience in severe environmental conditions. In this review, biosorption capacity of fungal pellets towards heavy metals, dyes, phenolic compounds, humic substances, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals was reviewed. Available data about the adsorption capacity of pellets, their removal efficiency, and the operational conditions used were collected and synthesized. The studies relying on biodegradation were discarded to present only the possibilities of fungal pellets for removing these concern pollutants through biosorption. It was found that the biosorption of complex mixtures of pollutants on fungal pellets is scarcely studied, as well as the interfering effect of anions commonly found in water and wastewater. Furthermore, there is a lack of research with real wastewater and at pilot and large scale. These topics need to be further explored to take full advantage of fungal pellets on improving the quality of aquatic systems.

The Biosorption of Lead from Aqueous Solutions by a Wood-immobilized Fungal Biosorbent

Lead [Pb(II)] biosorption capacities of immobilized Talaromyces macrosporus on Moringa oleifera L. wood were compared against pure fungal and pure M. oleifera biomass. A Pb(II) contact test of 1000 ug/mL show similar Pb(II) removal of non-immobilized fungal biomass (F) and powdered wood colonized with fungi (WP+F), with WP+F producing more biomass. Powdered sorbents had higher Pb(II) uptake compared to whole sorbents analyzed through ICP-AES, possibly due to increased surface area for Pb(II) binding. FTIR analysis of the F, WP, and WP+F identified hydroxyl, amino, carbonyl, and sulfhydryl functional groups which constitute probable Pb(II)-affinitive binding sites. The biosorbents tested in a Continuous Flow Column (CF) adsorbed Pb(II) at 1000, 2000, and 4000 ug/mL in 30 minutes with the Pb(II) uptake of WP+F producing removal efficiencies at 91-95% regardless of initial Pb(II) concentration. WP+F also showed significantly higher q values than powdered wood (WP) at 42.67184.83 mg/g for the Pb(II) test concentrations. Recovery of Pb(II) from WP+F yielded 99.61% of adsorbed ions from 1000 ug/mL Pb(II), proving Pb(II) entrapment in the sorbent. This is the first study to describe biosorption capacities for T. macrosporus and M. oleifera softwood along with the wood’s viability as an immobilization scaffold. These results show the potential of using T. macrosporus immobilized on M. oleifera wood as a tool for removal of Pb(II) in wastewater with high Pb(II) concentrations.

Novel biosorbents synthesized from fungal and bacterial biomass and their applications in the adsorption of volatile organic compounds

Adsorption is an efficient and low-cost technology used to purify volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In the current study, novel microbial adsorbents were synthesized using cells of lyophilized fungi (Ophiostoma stenoceras LLC) or bacteria (Pseudomonas veronii ZW) that were modified by aminomethylation. Based on the adsorption performance and structural characterization results, the modified fungal biosorbent was the best. Its maximum adsorption capacities for ethyl acetate, α-pinene, and n-hexane were 620, 454, and 374 mg·g−1, respectively, which were much higher than those of other synthesized biosorbents. The specific surface area of the fungal biosorbent was 20 m2·g−1, and most of the components were hydrocarbon compounds and polysaccharides. The VOC adsorption process on these synthesized biosorbents was in accordance with the Langmuir isothermal model and the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, thereby suggesting that physical adsorption was the dominant mechanism. The fungal biosorbent could be used for five consecutive VOC sorption-desorption cycles without any obvious decrease in adsorption capacity.

Batch and column approach on biosorption of fluoride from aqueous medium using live, dead and various pretreated Aspergillus niger (FS18) biomass

In this study, Aspergillus niger (FS18) was used to remove the fluoride from aqueous medium. Batch and column mode studies were carried out to investigate the effect of different conditions such as live biomass, dead biomass, various pretreated biomass and immobilized fungal biomass on the removal of fluoride removal. The results showed that the maximum removal of fluoride was attained at 30–80 min using dead fungal biomass when compared to live and various pretreated biomass. The fluoride removal was noted somewhat in the aqueous medium using formaldehyde and acid treated biomass when compared to calcium treated fungal biomass. The experimental data was fitted with pseudo second order when compared to pseudo first order. In column study, the maximum fluoride adsorption capacity of 89% was observed. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXA) techniques were used to elucidate the adsorption mechanism of dead fungal biosorbent. Findings of this work suggested that dead fungal biomass could be a suitable sorbent for the removal of fluoride in aqueous solution.

Utilization of Pleurotus eryngii biosorbent as an environmental bioremedy for the decontamination of trace cadmium(II) ions from water system.

In many parts of the world, cadmium metal concentration in drinking water is higher than some international guideline values. To reduce its level below the safety limit, a sustainable and environmental friendly approach is crucial. Thereby, present article introduce an efficient, non-pathogenic and a novel fungal biosorbent Pleurotus eryngii for the removal of Cd(II) ions from aqueous system. The efficiency of P. eryngii were improved and optimized by investigating many significant factors such as; pH, biosorbent dose, initial Cd(II) ion concentration, temperature and contact time. Maximum Cd(II) ions removal (99.9%) was achieved at pH 5.0, biosorbent dosage 0.2 g/10 mL, concentration 20 mg L-1, time 10 min and temperature 50 °C. The isotherm and kinetic models revealed bioremediation of Cd(II) ions as monolayer coverage with biosorption capacity of 1.51 mg g-1 following pseudo second order reaction. Moreover, thermodynamic parameters such as ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS° showed that the removal of Cd(II) ions is spontaneous and endothermic in nature. Batch elution process revealed that the complete elution of Cd(II) ions from the biomass were achieved using 0.1 N HNO3 solution. The sorption efficiency decreased from 99.99 to 56.89% as the biomass were recycled up to five times. The efficiency of Cd(II) ions removal from real water samples lies between 85 and 90%. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic (EDS) and atomic force microscopic (AFM) analysis of fungal biomass confirmed that the Cd(II) ions were the most abundant species on the biomass surface after the sorption process.

Biosorption of copper by endophytic fungi isolated from Nepenthes ampullaria.

Our study highlights that fungal biosorption capacity is highly dependent on the sampling area (roadside vs jungle) with roadside fungal strains showing significantly higher copper (Cu) biosorption capacities using living biomass compared to fungal strains originating from plants collected in virgin jungle (P<0·05). It also highlights that different biosorption mechanisms (alive - metabolic dependent and dead biomass - metabolic independent) result in different amounts of Cu being removed from the solutions. The living biomass possessed a better biosorption capacity than the dead biomass (P<0·05).