Bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Aqueous Environments: A Review of Biofiltration, Biosorption, and Biodegradation Strategies Using Living Fungal Mycelium
Claudia Colmo, Martin Tegelaar, Phil Ayres
Abstract
Accelerating urbanisation and industrial activity have led to the widespread release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a class of persistent organic pollutants with serious ecological and health consequences. While physical and chemical remediation techniques are widely used, they often require nonrenewable resources and generate secondary waste. Fungal-based bioremediation offers a promising alternative, leveraging the unique metabolic pathways and structural properties of fungi to break down or adsorb PAHs. This review focuses on three strategies of PAH remediation in aquatic environments: biofiltration, biosorption, and metabolic degradation. We conduct a comparison between conventional systems and fungal approaches with reference to the literature (2000–2025). Fungal matrices are identified as being able to capture and adsorb PAHs, facilitating localised remediation that capitalises on the biological capabilities of fungal organisms while requiring lower resource inputs than conventional methods. This review highlights fungal matrices as multifunctional water filtration membranes and provides insights for the application and development of engineered living materials (ELMs) for the water detoxification of PAHs.