Mycoremediation of n-alkanes under aerobic conditions – A review

Hydrocarbons released to the environment such as during oil spillages can lead to serious problems for ecosystems, climate, and human health. Many fungi have been shown to degrade various hydrocarbons found in oil and different oil-derived products, making fungi promising for use in bioremediation applications to detoxify hydrocarbon polluted substrates. This review summarises how fungi metabolise and degrade n-alkanes, one of the major components of combustible fuels - including how n-alkanes are taken up by the cell and how different secreted and membrane-bound proteins seem to affect the manner of uptake. Fungi metabolise hydrocarbons by three known oxidation pathways that are catalysed by Cytochrome p450 enzymes. The n-alkanes are not only used as a source of energy but are also incorporated into the cell by lipid synthesis. Many different fungi are already present in oil-contaminated sites and degrade these hydrocarbon pollutants. Yet many fungi seem to have an affinity towards shorter n-alkanes and might not be able to completely degrade all hydrocarbons. Fungi are a great contributor to detoxifying pollutants, but completely removing these hydrocarbon pollutants may require a wide variety of different species and possibly other organisms to effectively remedy contaminated environments.