Recent developments in biodegradation of industrial pollutants by white rot fungi and their enzyme system

Abstract

Increasing discharge and improper management of liquid and solid industrial wastes have created a great concern among industrialists and the scientific community over their economic treatment and safe disposal. White rot fungi (WRF) are versatile and robust organisms having enormous potential for oxidative bioremediation of a variety of toxic chemical pollutants due to high tolerance to toxic substances in the environment. WRF are capable of mineralizing a wide variety of toxic xenobiotics due to non-specific nature of their extracellular lignin mineralizing enzymes (LMEs). In recent years, a lot of work has been done on the development and optimization of bioremediation processes using WRF, with emphasis on the study of their enzyme systems involved in biodegradation of industrial pollutants. Many new strains have been identified and their LMEs isolated, purified and characterized. In this review, we have tried to cover the latest developments on enzyme systems of WRF, their low molecular mass mediators and their potential use for bioremediation of industrial pollutants. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.