DEGRADATION OF PHENOL AND P-NITROPHENOL BY THE WHITE-ROT POLYPORE TRAMETES VERSICOLOR

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of Trametes versicolor (BAFC 2344) to degrade phenol and p-nitrophenol (NP). Due to their widespread industrial usage and toxicity, these compounds cause serious environmental problems. In vivo-degradation experiments were carried out in immobilized culture for phenol and non-immobilized for NP and evaluated by HPLC. T. versicolor was precultivated on natural sponge (Luffa cilindrica) in tomato juice medium and was then transferred to 15 mM phenol solution. Degradation was performed in static culture over a period of 23 days. Phenol was added three times, when its concentration decreased by 60-70%. Degradation rates ranging between 3.6 mM. d(-1) and 1.3 mM. d(-1) could be achieved. Along with phenol addition laccase activities were sharply decreasing but were increasing again. Non-immobilized fungal cultures with 0.5 mM NP in glucose-asparagine medium were also able to degrade the pollutant. NP concentration was reduced by 92% within 25 days. The most abundant extracellular enzyme activity was laccase (1,400 U l(-1)). These results point out that T. versicolor is able to tolerate and degrade phenol and NP, considering NP as usually resistant to fungal degradation. Immobilization on natural sponge combines a high rate of phenol degradation and reutilization in several removal cycles.