Fungal-mediated biodegradation of ingredients in personal care products

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014. Many efforts have been devoted in developing technologies to remove emerging organic pollutants from freshwater systems. This chapter examined the applications of the environmental friendly technology based on fungal-mediated treatment for the degradation of ingredients in personal care products (PCPs), which are frequently detected at relevant concentrations in the aquatic environment. PCPs are daily-use products used in large quantity that includes several groups of substances (UV filters, preservatives, fragrances, etc.). Removal efficiencies reported varied significantly among different experimental set-up, organic substance, and type of fungi. The mechanisms and factors governing the degradation of PCPs by fungi, mainly white-rot fungi and their specific lignin-modifying enzymes, are reviewed and discussed. Beyond, the identification of the intermediate products and metabolites produced as well as the degradation pathways available for some PCPs are presented.