A novel two-species whole-cell immobilization system composed of marine-derived fungi and its application in wastewater treatment

BACKGROUND Mycelia pellet has been exploited as a biological carrier for whole-cell immobilization due to its unique structural characteristics. An innovative two-species whole-cell immobilization system was developed initially, which was achieved simply by inoculating the marine-derived fungus Pestalotiopsis sp. J63 spores into culture medium containing another fungus Penicillium janthinellum P1 pre-grown mycelia pellets for 2 days. RESULTS The resulting co-immobilization system exhibited stronger biocatalytic activity, broader spectrum of substrates and remained more stable in media when subjected to hostile environment than free mycelia. In order to examine the potential function and prospects of this co-immobilization system, the treatment of paper mill effluent was applied as a practical example. Numerous insoluble fine fibers in the wastewater were successfully and rapidly biodegraded and removed using this novel co-immobilization system. CONCLUSION Overall, the present study offers a simple and reproducible way to architect a two-species whole-cell immobilization system, which is highly promising for biochemical and industrial processes. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry