Construction of a microalgal-fungal spore co-culture system for the treatment of wastewater containing Zn(II) and estrone: Pollutant removal and microbial biochemical reactions

作者：Xiaoman He, Dongyang Liu, Yue Teng, Hanzhi Wang, Qirui Wu, Wei Wang, Jingzheng Ren, Liandong Zhu · 发表于：Journal of Environmental Management · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124221 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Algal biology and biofuel production、Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology、3D Printing in Biomedical Research

The co-culture system of Chlorella sorokiniana and Aspergillus oryzae has demonstrated exceptional tolerance and efficiency in the removal of pollutants from swine manure. This study evaluates the ability of the co-culture system to remove Zn(II) and estrone, while assessing the impact of these pollutants on the system's overall functionality. Results indicated that co-cultivation achieved higher biomass accumulation, peaking at 0.88 g/L after 96 h. Increasing estrone exposure concentration reduced photosynthetic activity and chlorophyll content, whereas Zn(II) exposure initially enhanced and later inhibited chlorophyll synthesis. Co-cultivation secreted extracellular polymeric substances, including protein-like and humus-like substances, to alleviate environmental stress and form algal-fungal community. After 96 h of cultivation, the removal efficiencies reached 86.44% for 1.5 mg/L Zn(II) and 84.55% for 20 mg/L estrone. The Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship model revealed a reduction in the ecotoxicity of estrone intermediate products to varying degrees. Metabolomics analysis showed that exposure to estrone and Zn(II) significantly boosted the production of Gibberellic acid, Indole-3-acetic acid, and Zeatin riboside in Chlorella sorokiniana, while reducing Abscisic Acid levels. Furthermore, the exposure led to an increase in various metabolites in the Tricarboxylic acid cycle of the co-cultivation system, influencing the synthesis and metabolism of key biochemical...