Research project FORGOTTEN

Fungal BiOdegRadation of emerginG cOnTaminanTs in NaturE-based SolutioNs (FORGOTTEN)

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are powerful tools to protect, restore and regenerate aquatic ecosystems with enormous benefits for biodiversity and ultimately human well-being. They have been widely applied as low-cost solutions for the naturalisation of riverbanks to reduce flooding or to increase green space in urban areas, and more recently to efficiently mitigate the threat brought by the occurrence of emerging contaminants (e.g. pesticides, pharmaceuticals, surfactants) in water streams.

The project at a glance

  • Start date:
    01 Sep 2025
  • Duration in months:
    24
  • Funding:
    University of Luxembourg, Marie Speyer excellence grant
  • Principal Investigator(s):
    Silvia VENDITTI

About

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are powerful tools to protect, restore and regenerate aquatic ecosystems with enormous benefits for biodiversity and ultimately human well-being. They have been widely applied as low-cost solutions for the naturalisation of riverbanks to reduce flooding or to increase green space in urban areas, and more recently to efficiently mitigate the threat brought by the occurrence of emerging contaminants (e.g. pesticides, pharmaceuticals, surfactants) in water streams. Among the array of NBS, bioremediation uses microbial metabolism to degrade pollutants under favourable environmental conditions and adequate nutrient availability. Primarily associated with the microbiome’s function in the soil region surrounding plant roots, known as rhizosphere, bioremediation has been mostly attributed to bacterial activity, often overlooking the contribution of fungi. Extensive research focused on the presence of root Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) which demonstrated to have a symbiotic relation with the chosen plant rather than a function in the degradation pathway. Therefore, FORGOTTEN aims to unveil the fungal community’s role in the direct biotransformation of emerging contaminants. Soil-borne DNA and RNA will be characterized using metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing, thus providing an unbiased view on the composition, function as well as activity of the fungal community members in situ. The findings will be linked to metabolic pathways of selected active ingredients (e.g. carbamazepine in the antiepileptic Tegretol) for which the transformation products are known. The outcomes of this interdisciplinary research project will open a new route to future innovative NBS design by including the understudied bioremediation potential of fungi to mitigate emerging pollutant emissions in receiving waters.

Organisation and Partners

  • Department of Engineering
  • Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM)
  • Aarhus University (Denmark)

Project team

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