Magic Mushrooms? White-Rot Fungal Degradation of Psychoactive Pharmaceuticals in Biosolids
Kate Burgener, Carsten Prasse
TL;DR
White-rot fungi can break down psychoactive drugs in biosolids, offering a sustainable way to reduce environmental contamination.
Contribution
Demonstrates the effectiveness of white-rot fungi in degrading psychoactive pharmaceuticals in biosolids.
Findings
Two white-rot fungal species degraded eight out of nine psychoactive pharmaceuticals with 48-99% efficiency.
Pleurotus ostreatus nearly completely degraded desvenlafaxine, trazodone, and citalopram.
Fungal transformation products were identified, formed through cleavage, hydroxylation, or demethylation reactions.
Abstract
Biosolids, the solid byproducts of wastewater treatment, are widely applied to soils to enhance nutrient levels and organic matter. However, their use raises environmental and human health concerns due to the presence of anthropogenic organic contaminants. As such, there is a need to develop treatment strategies that can help remove these compounds before biosolids are land applied. This study investigates the potential of two white-rot fungal species to remove nine psychoactive pharmaceuticals from biosolids. Each species degraded eight compounds, achieving removal efficiencies between 48 and 99% after 60 days. Pleurotus ostreatus nearly completely (>90%) degraded desvenlafaxine, trazodone, and citalopram, while Trametes versicolor achieved over 75% degradation of desvenlafaxine, trazodone, and lamotrigine. Liquid culture (without biosolids) and biosolid experiments tentatively…
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Taxonomy
TopicsPharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts · Enzyme-mediated dye degradation · Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactants