Elimination of contaminants of emerging concerns / trace organic contaminants by fungi and/or their enzymatic systems

Several physicochemical approaches used as tertiary treatment or sludge stabilization processes have been explored in the last years for the elimination of contaminants of emerging concerns (CECs) and trace organic contaminants (TrOCs). While often efficient at removing target organic contaminants, these technologies have various limitations which might impede their implementation. These limitations include high implementation and operation costs and the production of toxic by-products that can offset the benefice of removing the parent compound. Therefore, water utilities are still looking for a feasible, economical and sustainable solution to eliminate cocktails of trace contaminants. Fungi and their enzymatic systems have shown great potential for the transformation of a wide range of organic contaminants. Fungi possess a high capability to use different xenobiotic compounds as a source of carbon and energy. Microplastics, antibiotics, metals and pharmaceutical active compounds, among others, are examples of the most urgent need to find new strategies of mycoremediation, including unknown catabolic and detoxification pathways of fungi.

However, most of the published studies dealing with CECs and TrOCs fate after fungal/enzyme- treatment have not been performed under conditions encountered in wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the elimination mechanisms of these contaminants aren’t that well documented as well as the (eco)toxicity of the treated medium. Finally, proper immobilization systems as well as reactor designs are still mandatory to develop industrial scale fungi/enzyme biotreatments for bioremediation purposes.

This Research Topic invites authors to share Original Research Articles and Reviews that explore the utilization and valorisation of fungi and their enzymes for the elimination of contaminants of emerging concerns as well as trace organic contaminants. We welcome research dealing with:

• Elimination of TrOCs and CECs from aqueous solution or municipal, hospital or industrial streams using whole fungi or their enzymes;

• Identification of the elimination mechanisms involved;

• Transformation mechanisms, reaction products generated and (eco)toxicity of the treated effluents/solutions;

• Interaction between different contaminants present in the stream during the enzymatic or fungal treatment;

• Impact of the water constituents on the enzymatic or fungal treatment;

• Enzyme immobilization;Bioreactor design and operation;

• Fungal genomics and other omics technologies related to pollutant biodepletion;

• Other related topics.

Keywords: Enzymes; Elimination mechanisms; Transformation mechanisms; Reaction products; Interactions fungi/enzymes-contaminants.

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.