Exploring the use of biomixtures for the removal of structurally different pesticides. In: Removal of Emerging Contaminants through Microbial Processes.

SAEZ, JULIANA MARIA; BIGLIARDO, ANA LUCÍA; RAIMONDO, ENZO EMANUEL; BRICEÑO, GABRIELA E.; POLTI, MARTA ALEJANDRA; BENIMELI, CLAUDIA SUSANA

Removal of Emerging Contaminants through Microbial Processes

Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd

Año: 2021; p. 399 - 417

Pesticides are among the most employed compounds worldwide and play animportant role in modern agriculture. However, their inadequate management canlead to contamination of the environment. When pesticides enter soils and waterbodies, they produce negative impacts on ecosystems through diffuse or pointsource contamination. The last comprises processes like improper handling orleaks of spraying liquid, remnants, and washes of the spraying equipment, andthey can be controlled by agricultural good practices.In the last decades, with the objectives of reducing pesticides?point sourcepollution, biobeds or biopurification systems (BPS) were developed as promisingand low-cost technologies. They consist of three main components: a clay layer at the bottom; a biomixture; and a grass layer at the surface. The biomixture is thebiologically active core of a BPS, and it is composed of three elements which playimportant roles in the adsorption and degradation of pesticides: a lignocellulosicsubstrate, a humic rich component, and soil. Since half of the biomixture consistsof lignocellulosic substrates, several studies have evaluated the bioaugmentationof biomixtures with ligninolytic fungi obtaining satisfactory results on pesticideremoval. Also, the bioaugmentation of BPS with pesticide-degrading bacteriarepresents a promising approach in the design and optimization of these systems.This chapter is a short compilation regarding the application of BPS asbiotechnological tools for the removal of pesticides. A special emphasis is puton the bioaugmentation of biomixtures with ligninolytic fungi and/or pesticide-degrading bacteria to obtain optimal biodegradation of structurally diversepesticides.