Bioremediation of a Chilean Andisol contaminated with pentachlorophenol (PCP) by solid substrate cultures of white-rot fungi

This study provides a first attempt investigation of a serie of studies on the ability of Anthracophyllum discolor, a recently isolated white-rot fungus from forest of southern Chile, for the treatment of soil contaminated with pentachlorophenol (PCP) to future research on potential applications in bioremediation process. Bioremediation of soil contaminated with PCP (250 and 350 mg kg⁻¹ soil) was investigated with A. discolor and compared with the reference strain Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Both strains were incorporated as free and immobilized in wheat grains, a lignocellulosic material previously selected among wheat straw, wheat grains and wood chips through the growth and colonization of A. discolor. Wheat grains showed a higher growth and colonization of A. discolor, increasing the production of manganese peroxidase (MnP) activity. Moreover, the application of white-rot fungi immobilized in wheat grains to the contaminated soil favored the fungus spread. In turn, with both fungal strains and at the two PCP concentrations a high PCP removal (70–85%) occurred as respect to that measured with the fungus as free mycelium (30–45%). Additionally, the use of wheat grains in soil allowed the proliferation of microorganisms PCP decomposers, showing a synergistic effect with A. discolor and P. chrysosporium and increasing the PCP removal in the soil.