Extracellular white rot fungal enzymes have broad specificity, targeting a wide variety of structurally complex compounds such as lignin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and pesticides. One situation where fungi could be used is within engineered natural treatment systems to treat the myriad of contaminants often present in urban stormwater. Tire wear products (TWP) are emerging contaminants of concern in stormwater. Tire wear particles are generated from the mechanical abrasion of tires with road surfaces. Tire particles can then be washed into surface water during rain events, allowing TWP to leach into streams and rivers and subsequently impact aquatic health. TWP have been implicated as possible drivers of acute coho mortality following rain events among other ecological impacts, meriting novel treatment strategies such as fungal bioremediation to address the complex mixture of contaminants. To assess treatment potential of fungi for tire wear products in stormwater, we conducted batch experiments with three different white rot fungi species and select tire wear products. We quantified fungal removal of four tire wear products in synthetic stormwater: acetanilide, 1,3-diphenylguanidine, hexamethoxymethylmelamine, and n,n’-dicyclohexylurea. To measure changes in concentration of TWP over time, we used liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection or mass spectrometry. We probed enzymatic pathways by inhibiting the intracellular enzyme, Cytochrome P450 and measuring removal of TWP over time. Ongoing work includes untargeted metabolomics approach to identify fungal metabolic products. These results indicate the potential of using white rot fungi to target select TWP in stormwater in engineered natural treatment systems such as bioretention cells.

Metabolization of tire wear products in synthetic stormwater by three model white rot fungi

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.