Bioremediation Applications with Fungi

Industrial wastewaters such as olive oil mill wastewater (OOMW) and alcohol factory wastewater (vinasse) with high polluting characteristics affect the ecosystem seriously. The environmental impact of these wastewaters is rather severe due to their organic matter content and dark color. Therefore, it is illegal to dispose these wastewaters directly into the environment. In addition of wastewater treatments, decolorization of Kraft mills is one of the serious problems in pulp and paper industries because of their high color contents. The discharges of Kraft mills present a threat for environment and especially surface waters. These colored effluents contain serious amounts of chlorinated and oxidized lignin compounds. Remediation of this kind of wastewaters by conventional treatment methods has difficult and challenging processes. As a solution, the fungi have been chosen for bioremediation of wastewaters as efficient biological systems as they are able to remove the color and threatful organic content. Mycoremediation is an effective and ecofriendly method for the bioremediation of this type of wastewaters. This method has several advantages over chemical or physical remediation. Besides, fungal enzymes have a great potential for detoxifying and screening most of the environmental pollutants. In the last decade, fungal enzymes have a new application area on sensor technology. Biosensors are able to utilize fungal enzymes including an electrode that may be used for the detection of pollutants such as phenolic compounds. The objective of this chapter is to summarize recent developments in mycoremediation of wastewaters, especially OOMW and vinasse. Here, the role of biotechnologically important fungi such as yeast, molds, and white rot fungi in the mycoremediation of wastewaters is reviewed. The various mycoremediation methods for effective bioremediation and recent developments for fungal enzymes are also discussed.