Hydrocarbon Degradation Potentials of Fungi: A Review

Abstract

One of the serious problems affecting the environment nowadays is petroleum hydrocarbon contaminations resulting from the activities in the oil and gas sector, these include: oil-spill, tank leakage, lubrication, petroleum exploitation, transportation, and services. Various techniques including mechanical and chemical methods have been employed for the bioremediation and degradation of hydrocarbons pollutants from the environments, however, some of these methods are generally expensive and may have detrimental effects on the environment, hence bioremediation is the alternative solution to hydrocarbon pollutants. Among microorganisms used in bioremediation technology nowadays, fungi are efficient, reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly that can be used to cleanup and detoxify hydrocarbons contaminants from the environment viz; soil, water, and sediments. Bioremediation using fungi ensures the complete degradation and mineralization of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminants into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds, and cell biomass. This review focuses on the potentials of fungi in the bioremediation of total petroleum hydrocarbons including the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We reviewed and discussed current approaches in the bioremediation of hydrocarbon including the mechanisms of fungal bioremediation of hydrocarbon, which involves biosurfactants production and the use of fungal enzymes in the degradation of hydrocarbon pollutants. In general, fungi are more efficient and effective in the removal of hydrocarbon contaminants from the environments viz., water, soil, and sediments. However, the potentiality of fungi has not been exploited fully, hence further studies are recommended especially in the current genomic and proteomic era.

Microbial communities in petroleum refinery effluents and their complex functions

“…Enzymes within cells, such as transferase and cytochrome P450 family peroxidases, transform hydrocarbon mixtures into intermediate metabolites and substances that are expelled as byproducts. Catabolizing hydrocarbons into their excreted derivatives is facilitated by extracellular enzymes such as laccases, peroxidases, and oxidases ( Mahmud et al, 2022 ).…”

Screening of Diesel Oil Degrading Species of Aspergillus for the Production of Different Enzymes Using Agar Plate Assay Method

“…This study confirms earlier reports of bioremediation of hydrocarbons by fungi [26], however, the activities reported in this paper are based on isolation of species of Aspergillus from naturally degrading diesel sites. Different fungi have a variety of processes that they can are used to secrete enzymes that can break down petroleum hydrocarbons with industrial and commercial applications as bioremediation agents [1]. The outcome of the present study is that the species of Aspergillus can need carbon source for initial growth and thereafter are able to produce a variety of oil degrading enzymes to breakdown the diesel into simple carbon and nitrogen sources to serve them as nutrients for their growth and survival, thus, by converting petroleum to simpler absorbable forms for their nutrition and growth [5].…”

“…The genes involved in the production of hydrobon degrading enzymes are located either of chromosomal or plasmid DNA and become activated when they hydrocarbons as sole source of nutrients. Hydrocarbon degrading potential of fungi has recently been reviewed by Mahmud et al [1] and have concluded that filamentous fungi have high potential for commercial exploitation for remediation of oil pollutants and oil spill sites.…”

“…Petroleum hydrocarbon contamination from oil and gas industry, oil spills, tank leaks, lubrication, petroleum exploration, transportation, and services, are the major issues affecting soil environmental pollution today [1]. Further, anthropogenic activities result in the annual release of 5 million tons of petroleum oil into the environment that cause oil pollution [2].…”

Role of fungi in bioremediation of emerging pollutants

“…The potential of fungi in bioremediation processes is for example highlighted by their ability to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons, comprising alkanes, aromatic and nitrogen-sulfur-oxygencontaining compounds (Adenipekun and Lawal, 2012;Al-Hawash et al, 2018;Miri et al, 2019;Mahmud et al, 2022). Fungi have also been described as suitable bioremediation agents to counteract environmental pollution of toxic metals (Li et al, 2020).…”