The Life Cycle Assessment of Filamentous Fungi in Pharmaceutical Bioremediation and Wastewater Management: A Critical Review

The effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is a primary source of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems. The ongoing challenge of managing pharmaceuticals in wastewater highlights the need for advanced treatment techniques and constant monitoring. Despite ongoing research, no current technologies can achieve 100% removal of all pharmaceuticals, while certain compounds persist through both conventional and advanced processes. A possible solution is to enhance WWTPs by incorporating additional tertiary and post-treatment methods such as combining treatment methods, e.g., fungal treatment with activated carbon. Filamentous fungi possess several characteristics including the ability to degrade and adsorb pharmaceutical substances. This article reviews filamentous fungi with conventional and advanced wastewater treatment methods, evaluating their efficacy and sustainability in removing pharmaceutical substances. Additionally, a qualitative environmental impact assessment based on available life-cycle assessment literature on fungal treatment systems for pharmaceutical substances was conducted, highlighting both environmental impacts and potential benefits. To better understand the wastewater management of advanced wastewater treatment methods for pharmaceutical removal, the European legislation governing hazardous substances was analyzed. This critical review aims to provide insights into optimizing fungal-based treatment systems and identify future research directions to enhance the integration of fungal-based methods into existing wastewater treatment plants for pharmaceutical removal.