A Critical Review on the Ubiquitous Role of Filamentous Fungi in Pollution Mitigation

PROPOSE OF REVIEW: Anthropogenic activities are saturating wastewater treatment plants and the environment with an increasing range of organic and inorganic compounds, impairing ecosystems and health. Filamentous fungi, with characteristic filamentous growth, array of extracellular and intracellular enzymes, production of surfactants, cell wall biosorption properties, and symbiotic momentum, can contribute to a paradigm shift on the perception of anthropogenic pollution. This review provides a critical analysis of the main bottlenecks for feasible filamentous fungus-including processes and proposes a holistic approach for pollution mitigation using filamentous fungi. RECENT FINDINGS: Filamentous fungi can convert ordinary sidestreams into, e.g., feed proteins and biofuels. Economic and environmental studies support integration in established processes. Intersectoral initiatives, and economic and environmental studies, need to be motivated to increase the range of processes. Although massively studied, the transfer of fungal processes for the removal of micropollutants into real matrices is difficult. It needs to be supported by omics technologies for the study of microbial networks, and by efficient analytical techniques to clarify detoxification potential. The area can benefit from knowledge integration from fungal growth in ordinary sidestreams, and from economic and environmental studies. The interest in filamentous fungi for pollution mitigation is corroborated by an overwhelming amount of research; however, no full-scale applications are currently known. Environmental pollution is a reality and production of ordinary sidestreams and micropollutant-rich wastewaters continuous. The establishment of filamentous fungal processes needs collaboration among governmental authorities, industries, and academics in order to tackle knowledge gaps within the area and propose a holistic approach.