Utilization of Schizophyllum commune for the biodegradation of chlorhexidine gluconate and Benzalkonium chloride: an innovative approach to environmental remediation

Abstract Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) are commonly utilized antiseptics in medical and consumer products. Nonetheless, their ecological impact has sparked worries because of their toxicity to marine organisms and possible long term environmental consequences. It has been demonstrated to possess higher toxicity levels that may cause considerable alterations in aquatic ecosystems, impacting protozoan populations, algal biomass, and bacterial communities. Consequently, it is crucial to develop an efficient approach to reduce or remove this contaminant from the surroundings. In this current research, a fungal strain was isolated via enrichment technique, showing the ability to degrade BAC and CHG and its metabolites and was designated as AJ11. The isolated fungal strain was identified as Schizophyllum commune based on its morphological and molecular characteristics (28 S rRNA sequence). Strain AJ11 was able to effectively degrade 100 mg/L of BAC and 50 mg/L of CHG in aqueous environment. Furthermore, the degradation of the antiseptics was assessed using different kinetic models, and the findings confirmed the biodegradation according to pseudo-first order kinetics, and first order rate kinetics. The infrared spectrum of the degraded antiseptics sample verified the presence of nitro, and alkane groups. A proposed degradation pathway for BAC and CHG by strain AJ11 has been suggested based on Liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LC–MS) analysis. The activities of ligninolytic enzymes were investigated throughout the degradation of antiseptics by isolate AJ11. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to analyse the surface morphology of strain AJ11 post antiseptic degradation.