Degradation of Selected Xenobiotics from Wastewater by Wood-Decay Fungi

The occurrence of xenobiotics in the aquatic environment is a consequence of the development of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries and the massive use of synthetic substances in various manufacturing sectors. It has a completely different effect on the environment than “normal” organic pollution. It does not primarily affect water quality but acts directly on organisms. It can damage immunity, growth, metabolic processes, reproduction, and the natural behavior of biota. The main source of xenobiotics in the water cycle is an outflow of wastewater treatment plants. Xenobiotics are a diverse group of micropollutants with high persistence and resistance to the normal process of biological treatment in WWTP. For this reason, it is necessary to look for and test new methods and possibilities of their elimination in the water management sector. Promising technology is the bioremediation system’s effective use of wood-destroying “white root fungi,” whose enzymatic apparatus is able to metabolize more complex substances.