Aspergillus oryzae Pellets as a Biotechnological Tool to Remove 2,4-D in Wastewater Set to Be Reused in Agricultural Ecosystems

Karen Magnoli, Melisa Eglé Aluffi, Nicolás Benito, Carina Elizabeth Magnoli and Carla Lorena Barberis ()
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Karen Magnoli: Research Institute on Mycology and Micotoxicology (IMICO), National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Argentina (CONICET), Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Exact, Physical, Chemical and Natural Sciences, National University of Río Cuarto (UNRC), Road 36 Km 601 (5800), Río Cuarto X5804BYA, Argentina
Melisa Eglé Aluffi: Research Institute on Mycology and Micotoxicology (IMICO), National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Argentina (CONICET), Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Exact, Physical, Chemical and Natural Sciences, National University of Río Cuarto (UNRC), Road 36 Km 601 (5800), Río Cuarto X5804BYA, Argentina
Nicolás Benito: Research Institute on Mycology and Micotoxicology (IMICO), National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Argentina (CONICET), Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Exact, Physical, Chemical and Natural Sciences, National University of Río Cuarto (UNRC), Road 36 Km 601 (5800), Río Cuarto X5804BYA, Argentina
Carina Elizabeth Magnoli: Research Institute on Mycology and Micotoxicology (IMICO), National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Argentina (CONICET), Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Exact, Physical, Chemical and Natural Sciences, National University of Río Cuarto (UNRC), Road 36 Km 601 (5800), Río Cuarto X5804BYA, Argentina
Carla Lorena Barberis: Research Institute on Mycology and Micotoxicology (IMICO), National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Argentina (CONICET), Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Exact, Physical, Chemical and Natural Sciences, National University of Río Cuarto (UNRC), Road 36 Km 601 (5800), Río Cuarto X5804BYA, Argentina

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-17

Abstract: Mismanagement of rural wastewater can lead to environmental contamination with the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Fungi with bioremediating potential constitute a sustainable alternative to decontaminate such wastewater before its reuse. This study evaluated the ability of Aspergillus oryzae pellets to remove 2,4-D from natural and sterile rural wastewater (i.e., with/without native microbiota). The pellets were produced by incubating conidial solutions of A. oryzae strains RCA2, RCA4, RCA5, and RCA10 in synthetic wastewater for 21 days at 25 °C. The wastewater samples were characterized physicochemically and microbiologically upon arrival at the laboratory. Afterwards, they were supplemented with 1, 2.5, or 5 mmol L −1 of 2,4-D and inoculated with the pellets. Physicochemical characterization was repeated throughout the experiment. Herbicide removal and the presence of 2,4-D degradation intermediate, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), were assessed through high-pressure liquid chromatography with UV/Vis detection (HPLC-UV) and mass spectrometry. At the beginning of the assay, the macro- and micronutrient content in the samples were suitable to sustain fungal growth. By the end, pH had increased and sodium and nitrate levels decreased in comparison with the control. RCA2, RCA4, and RCA10 removed over 80% of 2,4-D after 7 days of incubation, at the three herbicide concentrations tested. Moreover, wet fungal biomass had increased by the end of the assay. These findings demonstrate that RCA2, RCA4, and RCA10 can grow, form pellets, and remove 2,4-D in natural rural wastewater, which makes them potential candidates for bioremediation strategies aimed at improving the quality of water set to be reused.

Keywords: fungal pellets; Aspergillus oryzae; 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; 2,4-dichlorophenol; rural wastewater; herbicide removal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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