Phenol removal by laccases and other phenol oxidases of Pleurotus sajor-caju PS-2001 in submerged cultivations and aqueous mixtures

Abstract In this work, phenol removal from aqueous solutions by Pleurotus sajor-caju PS-2001 phenol oxidases was assessed under different conditions. In stirred-tank reactor (STR), 77, 82, 92 and 36% of removal were attained when initial concentrations of 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 mmol L−1 phenol, respectively, were used. Among the different enzymes produced by this fungus, phenol removal seems to be related to the activity of laccases that attained maximum values between 33 and 91 U mL−1 in STR. With an internal-loop airlift reactor (ILAR), phenol concentrations of 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 mmol L−1 were evaluated, and removal of 70, 76, 82, 77 and 82%, respectively, were observed. In ILAR, however, superior maximum titres of laccases were quantified (80–285 U mL−1). Crude enzyme broths have also been tested for phenol removal from 3.0 mmol L−1 aqueous solutions, the best result (55% of removal) being obtained at pH 3.2 and 30 °C, without agitation, using 60 U mL−1 laccases. According to the data presented, phenol can be efficiently removed from liquid media in submerged cultures of P. sajor-caju PS-2001 even when carried out in a simple pneumatic reactor, whereas significantly less amount of the pollutant is degraded when a crude enzyme broth is used.