Abstract

To investigate the biodegrading capability of several white-rot fungi isolated in Korea, biodegradation of BTX (benzene, toluene, xylene), phenanthrene and pyrene were tested in fungal cultures. Phanerochaete chrysosporium removed 20-30% of BTX mixture during 21 days of incubation in serum bottle. Coriolus versicolor KR-11W and Irpex lacteus mineralized 10.02 and 8.26% of totla phenanthrene, respectively, which were higher than in other studies with P. chrysosporium. These two strains also showed high mineralization rates (9.2-10.1%) for 4-ring pyrene. I. lacteus metabolized most of the added pyrene and 23.29% was incorporate dinto fungal biomass. Almost 50% of the pyrene was converted to polar metabolites and recovered from aqueous phase of culture. These results indicated that some white- rot fungi have higher biodegradability than P. chrysosporium and could be used in bioremediation of aromatic hydrocarbon contaminants in soil.

• Keywords: biodegradation; BTX; phenanthrene; pyrene; white-rot fungi