Abstract
Approximately 1,000 white rot fungi strains were screened by the ability of degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as anthracene, pyrene, fluoranthene, benzo [a] pyrene, and dibenzo [a, i] pyrene. Thirty three strains of them had considerably higher degrading ability than the typical white rot fungi, Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Trametes versicolor. Among these strains, two strains showed superior degrading ability and low-specificity in degrading various PAHs. They could degrade PAHs efficiently under nutrient-limited conditions in both liquid phase (low-nitrogen medium) and solid phase (nutrient-poor soil). But those degrading ability was suppressed under nutrient-rich conditions. The purified ligninolytic enzymes such as lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase, and laccase could degrade PAHs.
