Degradation of Pentachlorophenol by Lignin Degrading Fungi and Their Laccases

The degradation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) by lignin degrading fungi was performed. Several fungi, Abortiporus biennis, Cerrena unicolor and Trametes versicolor, were tested to evaluate the inhibitory effect of PCP on their growth. At the extremal concentration of PCP $(500\;{\mu}M)$, only C. unicolor showed relatively fast growth (60% within 14 days) in the comparison to the control culture. In the case of A. biennis and C. unicolor, when initial PCP concentration was $50\;{\mu}M$, about 88.2% and 79.5% of PCP degradation were achieved within 3 days, respectively. When 2,5-xylidine (0.2 mM) was added to the C. unicolor culture, as high as 98% of PCP degradation was achieved within just an hour after its addition. A. biennis removed 44% of PCP at the same condition. PCP was completely disappeared when laccase activities reached to maximum.