The fungal growth of bioremediation

Abstract

Using fungi to remove or neutralise environmental contaminants is an emerging strategy to address the global rise in pollution. Industrial activity, plastic production, chemical waste, and heavy metal contamination have led to widespread ecosystem degradation, while conventional remediation methods remain costly, disruptive, and often inefficient. Fungi possess unique biological traits that make them promising remediation agents, including extensive mycelial networks, tolerance to toxic environments, and the ability to secrete diverse extracellular enzymes. These enzymes enable fungi to degrade complex organic pollutants, such as plastics, through oxidation and hydrolysis reactions. Another great thing about fungi is their ability to immobilise or sequester inorganic contaminants, such as heavy metals, through biosorption, biomineralisation, chelation, and intracellular storage. Different fungal species employ distinct metabolic pathways suited to specific pollutants, highlighting the importance of species selection for effective remediation. Evidence demonstrates fungal degradation of major plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyurethane, and even that of persistent compounds like PFAS under controlled conditions. For non-degradable contaminants such as heavy metals, fungi can bind, transport, and concentrate toxins, enabling their removal from contaminated environments. Symbiotic interactions among fungi, bacteria, and plants further enhance remediation potential by forming cooperative consortia capable of tackling complex mixtures of pollutants. Despite these advantages, large-scale implementation remains limited by economic constraints, incomplete knowledge of fungal diversity, and challenges in translating laboratory findings to real-world ecosystems. With only a small fraction of fungal species currently identified, continued discovery, optimisation, and potential genetic engineering may expand their practical applications. Overall, fungi represent a versatile and largely untapped resource for sustainable pollution mitigation, and advancing fungal bioremediation research could significantly improve environmental cleanup technologies.