Wastewaters contain an array of persistent organic compounds, which can resist breakdown during traditional biological wastewater treatment. Such recalcitrant compounds result from the synthesis of organic compounds for use in pesticide, detergent and pharmaceutical product manufacture. Local fungal isolates collected from wastewater treatment sites have been screened for their ability to grow in presence of a selection of organic compounds of varying structures and toxicity. The presence of certain groups of compounds in trade waste has increased in recent years and has been reported to be the cause of taints and off-flavours either in recipient water-bodies or when abstracted for potable water supply. The occurrence of off-flavours with elevated levels of ammonia at an upstream treatment plant is taken to signify inhibition of the treatment process due to the toxicity of the wastes being processed.
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