Electrostimulated bioremediation of reverse osmosis concentrate using Phanerochaete chrysosporium: Enhanced organic pollutant degradation and microbial–metabolic network optimization

Petrochemical reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC), characterized by high salinity and complex organic constituents, poses a significant environmental threat, and conventional treatment methods often fail to effectively remove its pollutants. In this study, an electro-stimulation–Phanerochaete chrysosporium coupling system was developed to systematically evaluate the effects of electrical stimulation on fungal growth, metabolic activity, and organic pollutant degradation in real ROC wastewater. Unlike conventional bio-electrochemical or fungal methods, this hybrid strategy combines electro-stimulation with broad-spectrum fungal degradation to overcome salt limitations and efficiently treat ROC. Results showed that moderate electrical stimulation (3 V) significantly enhanced fungal biomass growth, maintained hyphal structural integrity, and improved metabolic adaptability under high-salinity conditions. The coupled bioelectrochemical system markedly increased the removal efficiency of COD and UV₂₅₄, promoted sustained secretion of key ligninolytic enzymes (MnP and LiP), and achieved effective degradation of recalcitrant substances such as aromatic proteins, fulvic acids, and humic acids, as revealed by 3D-EEM and metabolomic analyses. Combined microbiome and metabolome analyses indicated that electrical stimulation enhanced P. chrysosporium's metabolic activity, enabling coordination with microbial communities via key metabolites and driving a restructuring of the ROC microecosystem. This study demonstrates that electrical stimulation can significantly improve the adaptability and degradation performance of P. chrysosporium in actual wastewater, providing a novel strategy for the efficient regulation and application of environmental microbes in the treatment of refractory wastewater.