ALGINATE ENCAPSULATION OF PHANEROCHAETE CHRYSOSPORIUM FOR THE FUNGAL BIOCATALYSIS OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING COMPOUNDS IN WASTEWATER
Open Access
- Author:
- Shreve, Michael John
- Area of Honors:
- Environmental Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Rachel Alice Brennan, Thesis Supervisor
Rachel Alice Brennan, Thesis Supervisor
Eric Todd Donnell, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- white rot fungus
phanerochaete chrysosporium
endocrine disrupting compounds
EDC
wastewater treatment
alginate - Abstract:
- Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), which include certain classes of pesticides and pharmaceuticals, are known to disrupt hormone functions in humans and other animals. These contaminants often make their way into wastewater, pass through traditional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and are discharged along with treated effluent into surface waters where they can threaten both human health and ecosystem well-being. Interception of these contaminants at WWTPs offers the best means of preventing their release into the environment. One method of removing EDCs is passive biological treatment using white rot fungus (WRF). WRF, with their powerful extracellular oxidative enzymes, have been found capable of mineralizing many common EDCs; yet, the development of an engineered fungal bioreactor for EDC removal has not yet been accomplished. This study investigates the feasibility of utilizing WRF entrapped in an alginate matrix for the removal of EDCs from wastewater. Calcium alginate beads containing different amounts of fungal inoculum (5% and 15%) and formed under different conditions (in the presence or Na+, or without) were applied in batch airlift bioreactors containing wastewater from the Penn State WWTP under sterile conditions. The mechanical stability of the beads and the release of enzymes into reactor solution were monitored using enzyme assays, visual inspection, bead diameter measurements, and rheological data. Alginate beads were found to be stable in wastewater over the course of the experiment, as measured by bead diameter and visual inspection, though rheological data were inconclusive due to human error in conducting tests. While enzymes were not detected in solution, further investigation is necessary to determine whether enzymes were being produced, yet remained trapped in the alginate beads, where EDC degradation may, in fact, take place.