Enhanced biodegradation of fluorinated pharmaceutical by Aspergillus flavus and Cunninghamella elegans biofilms: kinetics and mechanisms

The increasing occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds in aquatic environments poses significant ecological and public health challenges due to the persistence and bioaccumulation potential. While Aspergillus flavus and Cunninghamella elegans have demonstrated efficacy in removing heavy metals and dyes, their potential for pharmaceutical bioremediation remains unexplored. This study investigated these fungi capacity to degrade three persistent fluorinated pharmaceutical–atorvastatin (ATO), ciprofloxacin (CIP), and fluoxetine (FLX), through an innovative biofilm-based approach. Using polyurethane foam (PUF) as a carrier in two different configurations (fixed foam (PUF-F) and moving foam (PUF-M)), the performance of both fungal species was evaluated. C. elegans biofilms on PUF-F demonstrated high removal efficiencies of 97.3% for ATO and 97.7% for CIP, while A. flavus achieved 92.4% FLX reduction in the same system. Notably, the biofilm-based systems consistently outperformed carrier-free cultures, confirming the advantage of immobilized fungal growth. Kinetic analysis indicated pseudo-first-order degradation with remarkably short half-lives (1.0–1.7 days), surpassing reported values for white-rot fungi. Although adsorption contributed minimally (< 10%) to overall removal, species-specific biofilm characteristics emerged as key factors: C. elegans exhibited superior surface hydrophobicity (0.76) and stress resistance, whereas A. flavus developed denser extracellular matrices. These findings highlight the potential of tailored fungal biofilm systems for efficient removal of recalcitrant pharmaceutical, presenting a promising biological solution for wastewater treatment applications. The study provides critical insights into species-specific degradation mechanisms and operational parameters that could guide the development of scalable fungal bioremediation technologies.

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