Immobilization of Microbes for Biodegradation of Microcystins: A Mini Review

Jiajia Zhang; Jia Wei; Isaac Yaw Massey; Tangjian Peng; Fei Yang

doi:10.3390/toxins14080573

Immobilization of Microbes for Biodegradation of Microcystins: A Mini Review

Toxins (Basel). 2022 Aug 22;14(8):573. doi: 10.3390/toxins14080573.

Authors

Jiajia Zhang¹, Jia Wei¹, Isaac Yaw Massey¹, Tangjian Peng², Fei Yang^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.
² Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Typical Environmental Pollution and Health Hazards, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China.
³ The Key Laboratory of Ecological Environment and Critical Human Diseases Prevention of Hunan Province, Department of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China.

Abstract

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs) frequently occur in eutrophic freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Microcystins (MCs) are considered to be the most prominent and toxic metabolites during HCBs. MCs may be harmful to human and animal health through drinking water and recreational water. Biodegradation is eco-friendly, cost-effective and one of the most effective methods to remove MCs. Many novel MC-degrading bacteria and their potential for MCs degradation have been documented. However, it is a challenge to apply the free MC-degrading bacterial cells in natural environments due to the long-term operational instability and difficult recycling. Immobilization is the process of restricting the mobility of bacteria using carriers, which has several advantages as biocatalysts compared to free bacterial cells. Biological water treatment systems with microbial immobilization technology can potentially be utilized to treat MC-polluted wastewater. In this review article, various types of supporting materials and methods for microbial immobilization and the application of bacterial immobilization technology for the treatment of MCs-contaminated water are discussed. This article may further broaden the application of microbial immobilization technology to the bioremediation of MC-polluted environments.

Keywords: biodegradation; microbial immobilization; microcystins (MCs).

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Biodegradation, Environmental
Cyanobacteria / metabolism
Ecosystem
Eutrophication
Fresh Water
Humans
Microcystins* / analysis
Microcystins* / metabolism
Water Purification / methods*

Substances

Microcystins

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Huxiang Youth Talent Program (2021RC3107); the Key Research and Development Projects in Hunan Province (2022SK2089); Hunan Province Excellent Youth Fund (2020JJ3053); National Natural Science Foundation of China (81773393, 31900108); the Scientific Research Start-up Fund of University of South China (201RGC008), Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province of China (2022JJ40372).