Biodegradation of tetracycline by Penicillium reticulisporum Te01 under adsorption-metabolism synergy.

The widespread application and environmental persistence of tetracycline (TC) in livestock farming cause extensive pollution, threatening human health, ecological stability, and organismal growth. While microbial remediation offers a sustainable route for TC control, the combined mechanisms of fungal adsorption and degradation remain poorly understood. A highly efficient TC-degrading fungus, identified as Penicillium reticulisporum Te01, was isolated from farmland soil. Adsorption analysis followed the Langmuir model, indicating a monolayer process, whereas biodegradation was primarily driven by metabolic activity. The effects of inoculum dosage, initial TC concentration, temperature, and pH were first evaluated through single-factor experiments, and the optimal operational parameters were identified using response surface methodology, resulting in a maximum degradation efficiency of 72.58%. Results demonstrated that Mn²⁺ enhanced TC degradation at specific concentrations; conversely, chlortetracycline and ammonia nitrogen exerted significant inhibitory effects. Ecotoxicity assessment using Chlorella vulgaris revealed increased EC