Effect of Mobilising Agents on Mycoremediation of Soils Contaminated by Hydrophobic Persistent Pollutants

Abstract

The last decades have witnessed an increasing concern of the public opinion and competent authorities regarding the accumulation of hydrophobic persistent pollutants (HPP) in both natural and anthropic ecosystems. An emerging restoration approach to contaminated soils, often referred to as bioremediation, involves the use of either resident or exogenous microbes. Its efficacy, however, is strongly affected by the recalcitrance of HPP to microbial attack due to their low water solubility and bioavailability. In this respect, the use of surface-active agents able to enhance the mobilisation of these contaminants from the soil organic phase to the aqueous one has been often shown to stimulate their biodegradation. Although the HPP degradation capability of filamentous fungi has been suggested to be less dependent on bioavailability than other microbiota, there is increasing evidence of the use of mobilising agents in fungal-assisted remediation applications. This review analyses the influence of both surfactants and other pollutant-mobilising agents, such as plant oils and cyclodextrins, on mycoremediation performances with reference to their impact on fungal growth, physiology and interactions with resident soil communities.