Characterization and mechanism of lead and zinc biosorption by growing Verticillium insectorum J3

Evaluation of resistance patterns and bioremoval efficiency of hydrocarbons and heavy metals by the mycobiome of petroleum refining wastewater in Jazan with assessment of molecular typing and cytotoxicity of Scedosporium apiospermum JAZ-20

Jazan Industrial Economic City (JIEC) is located on the Red Sea coast in the province of Jazan, southwest of Saudi Arabia anchors diverse heavy and secondary industries in the energy, water desalination, petroleum, aluminum, copper, refineries, pharmaceuticals and food manufacturing fields. These various industries generate a large quantity of industrial wastewaters containing various toxicants. The present work represents ecologically beneficial alternatives for the advancement of environmental biotechnology, which could help mitigate the adverse impacts of environmental pollution resulting from petroleum refining effluents. The mycobiome (32 fungal strains) isolated from the industrial wastewater of the refinery sector in Jazan were belonged to five fungal genera including Fusarium, Verticillium, Purpureocillium, Clavispora and Scedosporium with a distribution percentage of 31.25, 21.88, 15.63, 12.50 and 18.75 %, respectively. These isolates showed multimetals tolerance and bioremoval efficiency against a large number of heavy metals (Fe2+, Ni2+, Cr6+, Zn2+, As3+, Cu2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Ag+ and Hg2+) along with potent bioremediation activity toward crude oil and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Interestingly, the mycobiome resistance patterns obtained against different classes of fungal antibiotics including azole (fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, isavuconazole and ketoconazole), echinocandin (anidulafungin, caspofungin and micafungin) and polyene (amphotericin B) drugs proved the prevalence of antibiotic resistance among the mycobiome of refinery industry in Saudi Arabia is relatively low. The fungal isolate under isolation code JAZ-20 showed the highest bioremoval efficiency against heavy metals (90.8-100.0 %), crude oil (89.50 %), naphthalene (96.7 %), phenanthrene (92.52 %), fluoranthene (100.0 %), anthracene (90.34 %), pyrene (85.60 %) and chrysene (83.4 %). It showed the highest bioremoval capacity ranging from 85.72 % to 100.0 % against numerous pollutants found in a wide array of industrial effluents, including diclofenac, ibuprofen, carbamazepine, acetaminophen, sulfamethoxazole, bisphenol, bleomycin, vincristine, dicofol, methyl parathion, atrazine, diuron, dieldrin, chlorpyrifos, profenofos and phenanthrene. The isolate JAZ-20 was chosen for molecular typing, cytotoxicity assessment, analysis of volatile compounds and optimization investigations. Based on phenotypic, biochemical and phylogenetic analysis, strain JAZ-20 identified as Scedosporium apiospermum JAZ-20. This strain is newly discovered in industrial effluents in Saudi Arabia. Fungal strain JAZ-20 consistently produced various types of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. the main fatty acids were C14:0 (1.95 %), iso-C14:0 (2.98 %), anteiso-C14:0 (2.13 %), iso-C15:0 (9.16 %), anteiso-C15:0 (11.75 %), C15:0 (7.42 %), C15:1 (2.37 %), anteiso-C16:0 (3.4 %), C16:0 (10.3 %), iso-C16:0 (9.5 %), C17:1 (1.36 %), anteiso-C17:1 (8.64 %), iso-C18:0 (11.0 %), C18:0 (3.63 %), anteiso-C19:0 (3.78 %), anteiso-C20:0 (2.0 %), iso-C21:0 (2.44 %), C23:0 (1.15 %), and C24:0 (2.17 %). These fatty acids serve as natural and eco-friendly antifungal agents, promoting fungal resistance and inhibiting the production of mycotoxins in the environment. Despite being an environmental isolate, its cytotoxicity was assessed against both normal and cancerous human cell lines. The IC50 values of JAZ-20 extract were 8.92, 10.41, 20.0, 16.5, and 40.0 μg/mL against WI38, MRC5, MCF10A, HEK293 and HDFs normal cells and 43.26, 33.75, and 40.0 μg/mL against liver (HepG2), breast (A549) and cervix (HeLa) cancers, respectively. Based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), analysis the extract of S. apiospermum JAZ-20 showed 47 known volatile compounds (VOCs) for varied and significant biological activities. Enhancing the bioremoval efficiency of heavy metals from actual refining wastewater involves optimizing process parameters. The parameters optimized were the contact time, the fungal biomass dosage, pH, temperature and agitation rate.

Filamentous fungi for sustainable remediation of pharmaceutical compounds, heavy metal and oil hydrocarbons

This review presents a comprehensive summary of the latest research in the field of bioremediation with filamentous fungi. The main focus is on the issue of recent progress in remediation of pharmaceutical compounds, heavy metal treatment and oil hydrocarbons mycoremediation that are usually insufficiently represented in other reviews. It encompasses a variety of cellular mechanisms involved in bioremediation used by filamentous fungi, including bio-adsorption, bio-surfactant production, bio-mineralization, bio-precipitation, as well as extracellular and intracellular enzymatic processes. Processes for wastewater treatment accomplished through physical, biological, and chemical processes are briefly described. The species diversity of filamentous fungi used in pollutant removal, including widely studied species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Verticillium, Phanerochaete and other species of Basidiomycota and Zygomycota are summarized. The removal efficiency of filamentous fungi and time of elimination of a wide variety of pollutant compounds and their easy handling make them excellent tools for the bioremediation of emerging contaminants. Various types of beneficial byproducts made by filamentous fungi, such as raw material for feed and food production, chitosan, ethanol, lignocellulolytic enzymes, organic acids, as well as nanoparticles, are discussed. Finally, challenges faced, future prospects, and how innovative technologies can be used to further exploit and enhance the abilities of fungi in wastewater remediation, are mentioned.

Biosorptive Potential of Pseudomonas species RY12 Toward Zinc Heavy Metal in Agriculture Soil Irrigated with Contaminated Waste Water

Industrial waste is mainly responsible for accumulating Zn (II) in the soil, which needs to be removed to avoid its bioaccumulation and hazardous effects on the environment. In a recent study, the potential of the RY12 strain was evaluated as a biosorbent of Zn (II) ions in an aqueous medium. Different microbiological techniques like biochemical, molecular characterization, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used for the identification of RY12. The impact of different parameters such as the initial zinc ion concentration, pH, temperature, and the removal of other metals such as manganese, lead, cobalt, silver, copper, mercury, and chromium was also evaluated on the reduction of Zn (II). Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was also carried out to investigate the role of cellular surfaces in the sorption of Zn+2 ions. Both biochemical and phylogenetic analyses established that strain RY12 Pseudomonas sp. capable of reducing Zn+2 up to 89% at 28°C (pH = 6.5; initial Zn+2 concentration = 200 mg/L). The FTIR analysis revealed that the bacterial cell wall’s amino, carboxyl, and phosphate groups were involved in the reaction with Zn (II). Our findings suggest that Pseudomonas sp. RY12 is a proficient bacterium for removing zinc from industrial waste and could be a valuable bioremediation agent.

Biological treatment of hazardous heavy metals by Streptomyces rochei ANH for sustainable water management in agriculture

Microbial bioremediation of heavy metals-polluted industrial effluents has been adopted as one of the most effective eco-friendly tool to cope up with the harmful effects of metals. This study was designed to investigate the biosorption potential of marine actinomycetes isolated from the Alexandrian Mediterranean Seacoast, Egypt, with their potential use in metal remediation of industrial effluents. Among the nine marine actinomycetes isolates, Streptomyces rochei ANH showed the highest versatile metal resistance capability with MIC values of 125 mg/l for Cr⁶⁺ and 60 mg/l for both Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺. Additionally, scanning electron micrographs showed complete disintegration of Cr⁶⁺-treated biomass compared with the control ones where spores remained intact and connected in long chains. The study also aimed to improve the percentage of Cr⁶⁺ biosorption by S. rochei ANH biomass using the statistical designs of Plackett–Burman and Box-Behnken where up to 85% of Cr⁶⁺ removal was recorded under the following conditions: pH (5), incubation temperature (30 °C), contact time (3 h), agitation speed (90 rpm), initial Cr⁶⁺ concentration (50 mg/l) and living biomass concentration (10 mg/ml). The results also showed that the percentage of Cr⁶⁺ biosorption by S. rochei ANH decreased gradually beyond these values. Moreover, the results revealed that the use of the biomass of S. rochei ANH is an effective biotechnological agent for the biological treatment of heavy metal-contaminated tannery effluent where the percentages of metal removal were in the following order: Ni²⁺ (100%) ≥ Cu²⁺  ≥ Mn²⁺  ≥ Fe²⁺  > Pb²⁺ (95%) ≥ Cd²⁺  > Cr⁶⁺ (86%). Furthermore, the treated effluent exhibited a stimulating effect on the germination process of Lepidium sativum seeds. Therefore, the present study implies that S. rochei ANH can be considered a powerful candidate to mitigate hazardous heavy metals pollution from industrial effluents and improve the water quality for agricultural purposes.

Bioremediation of water contaminated with uranium using Penicillium piscarium

Penicillium piscarium can be indicated as promising in the treatment of sites contaminated with uranium. Thus, this research aimed to analyze the P. piscarium dead biomass in uranium biosorption. This fungus was previously isolated from a highly contaminated uranium mine located in Brazil. Biosorption tests were carried out at pH 3.5 and 5.5 in solutions contaminated with concentrations of 1 to 100 mg/L of uranium nitrate. Our results showed that the dead biomass of P. piscarium was able to remove between 93.2 and 97.5% uranium from solutions at pH 3.5, at the end of the experiment, the pH of the solution increased to values above 5.6. Regarding the experiments carried out in solutions with pH 5.5, the dead biomass of the fungus was also able to remove between 38 and 92% uranium from the solution, at the end of the experiment, the pH of the solution increased to levels above 6.5. The analysis of electron microscopy, Energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray fluorescence demonstrated the high concentration of uranium precipitated on the surface of the fungal biomass. These results were impressive and demonstrate that the dead biomass of P. piscarium can be an important alternative to conventional processes for treating water contaminated with heavy metals, and we hope that these ecofriendly, inexpensive, and effective technologies be encouraged for the safe discharge of water from industrial activities.