Heavy Metal Contaminants Removal from Wastewater Using the Potential Filamentous Fungi Biomass: A Review

The soil and water contaminations are frequently occurred by toxic heavy metals and organic pollutants as a consequence of human activities become a key concern in environmental and health problem. Several toxic metals (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Mn, As, Ni, Zn, etc.) from industrial wastewater and other human activities are directly or indirectly released into the environment. Unlike organic contaminants, these pollutants from heavy metals are not biodegradable and able to travel up the food chain via bioaccumulation. According to Lopez and Vazquez [1], some metals including Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn are micronutrients for most of the organisms; however, not all living organism. It can play a vital role in metalloenzymes. Cations usually increase membrane stability and play specific roles in nucleic acid structures, functions and metabolisms [2]. When the concentrations of beneficial metals (mercury, lead, cadmium) in the environment are very high, they become more toxic [2,3].