title: Fungal biodegradation of anthracene-polluted cork: A comparative study.
abstract: The efficiency of cork waste in adsorbing aqueous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been previously reported. Biodegradation of contaminated cork using filamentous fungi could be a good alternative for detoxifying cork to facilitate its final processing. For this purpose, the degradation efficiency of anthracene by three ligninolytic white-rot fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Irpex lacteus and Pleurotus ostreatus) and three non-ligninolytic fungi which are found in the cork itself (Aspergillus niger, Penicillium simplicissimum and Mucor racemosus) are compared. Anthracene degradation by all fungi was examined in solid-phase cultures after 0, 16, 30 and 61 days. The degradation products of anthracene by P. simplicissimum and I. lacteus were also identified by GC-MS and a metabolic pathway was proposed for P. simplicissimum. Results show that all the fungi tested degraded anthracene. After 61 days of incubation, approximately 86%, 40%, and 38% of the initial concentration of anthracene (i.e., 100 µM) was degraded by P. simplicissimum, P. chrysosporium and I. lacteus, respectively. The rest of the fungi degraded anthracene to a lesser extent (<30%). As a final remark, the results obtained in this study indicate that P. simplicissimum, a non-ligninolytic fungi characteristic of cork itself, could be used as an efficient degrader of PAH-contaminated cork.
authors.affiliation: a Catalan Cork Institute, Palafrugell , Girona , Spain.
authors.forename: Patrícia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jové
authors.affiliation: b Departament of Chemistry , University of Girona , Girona , Spain.
authors.forename: Maria À
authors.initials: MÀ
authors.lastname: Olivella
authors.affiliation: c Biological Research Center, Biotechnology for Lignocellulosic Biomass , Spain.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Camarero
authors.affiliation: d Department of Environmental Chemistry , Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, IDAEA-CSIC , Barcelona , Spain.
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caixach
authors.affiliation: d Department of Environmental Chemistry , Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, IDAEA-CSIC , Barcelona , Spain.
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Planas
authors.affiliation: a Catalan Cork Institute, Palafrugell , Girona , Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cano
authors.affiliation: e Department of Mining Engineering and Natural Resources , Polytechnic University of Catalonia , Manresa , Spain.
authors.forename: Francesc X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: De Las Heras
mesh_terms: D000873:Anthracenes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001234:Aspergillus niger / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D009089:Mucor / Q000378:metabolism*; D010407:Penicillium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020075:Phanerochaete / Q000378:metabolism*; D020076:Pleurotus / Q000378:metabolism*; D029963:Quercus; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D000873:Anthracenes; D015386:Hazardous Substances; C034020:anthracene
keywords: Penicillium simplicissimum; Quercus suber L.; anthracene; biodegradation; bioremediation; ligninolytic fungi