Hidden contaminants in water: who can tackle them?
Keywords:
Emerging contaminants, bioremediation, diclofenacAbstract
Did you know that the painkillers you take can end up in rivers and lakes without anyone detecting them? Diclofenac is one of thousands of compounds that reach water bodies in concentrations so small they go unnoticed, yet with real consequences for aquatic ecosystems. Conventional wastewater treatment plants were not designed to remove it, and existing alternatives are either costly or generate new problems. However, nature offers a surprising solution: a fungus commonly found in temperate forests, called Trametes versicolor, capable of degrading it efficiently and without generating toxicity.
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