Factors Governing Degradation of Phenol in Pharmaceutical Wastewater by White-rot Fungi: A Batch Study

Abstract

Phenol is a major contaminant in the industrial water effluent, including pharmaceutical wastewaters. Although several physic-chemical methods for removal of phenol exist, they are of high cost, low efficiency, and generate toxic byproducts. Thus, there is a need to develop technologies for biological removal of phenol from wastewater. In this study, the degradation of phenol in pharmaceutical wastewater by monoculture of white-rot fungi was studied. The degradation rate of total phenol in batch flasks by four fungal monocultures of Trametes versicolor, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Gloeophyllum trabeum and Irpex lacteus in synthetic medium was compared. The results showed that white-rot fungus T.Versicolor was the most effective of the species. Further selection tests of optimal conditions of biomass concentration, pH and temperature were done, indicating that optimal conditions of degradation are at pH 5-6, temperature 25 o C, and biomass inoculum 10% (v/v). Under optimal conditions, total phenol was reduced by 93%, concentration of total phenol decreasing from 420±12 mg/l to 29±1 mg/l in seven days, with T.Versicolor specie. This study suggested that biological treatment with fungi may effectively be used as a pre-treatment stage for removal of phenol before polishing wastewater with conventional biological methods.

Isolation and Characterization of Yarrowia lipolytica YQ22 from Diesel Samples for Phenol Biodegradation

“…4, it can be observed that at an initial pH of 5, a higher percentage of biodegradation was observed at different temperatures. Under the same conditions, it has been found that successful phenol biodegradation ranges between pH 5 and 6, and below or above that range, the biodegradation of phenols tends to decrease (Bernats and Juhna, 2015); likewise, a maximum cellular biomass (OD600) of 2.7 was obtained at 30°C, although no significant difference was observed with the other treatments (Fig. 4).…”

Laccase Production Under Optimized Parameters by Aspergillus oryzae, an Endophytic Fungus and their Application to Waste Water Treatment

“…Similar findings indicate that Bisphenol A (0.015%) was incubated with 1.5 U/mL of Lac 1 from Grifola frondos is capable of degrading Bisphenol A 30% without the use of a mediator in 6 hrs (46) . In just seven days, T. versicolor, a white-rot fungus, was found to be the most effective of the species, being reduced by 93% total phenol content under optimal conditions (47) . This present result is efficiently applicable to degrade phenol from industrial effluents.…”

Filamentous Fungi as Bioremediation Agents of Industrial Effluents: A Systematic Review

“…The degradation of phenol is influenced by various factors, including temperature, pH, agitation, and the physical properties of contaminants [71,83]. White-rot fungi, particularly Trametes versicolor, have been found to be effective in degrading phenol, with an optimal pH of 5-6 and temperature of 25 • C [84]. A mixed microbial culture comprising Candida tropicalis, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Candida haemulonis, and Streptomyces alboflavus has been found to degrade phenol, with the highest degradation occurring at an initial concentration of 1000 mg/L, a temperature of 35 • C, and a pH of 7.0 [85].…”