Immobilized Coprinus plicatilis Biodegradation of Fluorene in Two Different Packed-Bed Reactors.

The biodegradation of fluorene by immobilized Coprinus plicatilis was studied in pinewood and foam glass bead-packed reactors. The reactors were operated in a sequencing batch system. Removal efficiency increased over time and elevated influent fluorene concentration (85 mg/L) was removed 100% in 24-30 h batch cycles. Increased laccase activity was detected with the introduction of the compounds, and optimum activity corresponded to optimum removal periods. Significantly higher laccase activity (16.7-19 U/L) was detected in the glass bead-packed reactor compared to the pinewood-packed reactor (0.2-5 U/L). The presence of Mn2+ ions in the wood material possibly caused elevated manganese peroxidase activity (0.3-5.8 U/L) compared to low to negligible activity in the glass bead reactor. Reactor performances are discussed in relation to sequencing batch operation and nutrient requirements necessary to induce and sustain fungal enzyme activity in inert-like organic material packed systems. Biodegradation metabolites were detected in samples via GC/MS.

Comparative studies of Remazol Brillant Blue removal by immobilized organisms; investigation of metabolites by GC/MS and FTIR spectrometry.

Reactive dyes are important chemical pollutants from textile industries. Treatment of effluents from dye-based industries poses a major problem, and biotreatment with white rot fungi seems to be a viable option. The biological treatment of synthetic dyes at a low cost and in the shortest possible time is used especially in dye and textile industries and leads to pollution in the wastewater dumped into the environment by these industries. For this study, decolorization of the recalcitrant dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R by immobilized Pleurotus ostreatus and Coprinus plicatilis was investigated. This dye was removed 100% (dye concentration: 10.0 mg/L) by both immobilized organisms. Extracellular ligninolytic enzyme activities were also measured during the decolorization. There was an attempt to identify metabolites with FTIR spectrometry and GC/MS at the end of the decolorization. These results indicated that the samples did not include any detectable metabolite.

Simple analysis of naphthalene, fluorene, and anthracene in whole blood by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry after headspace-solid phase microextraction.

A simple and sensitive method for the simultaneous analysis of naphthalene, fluorene, and anthracene in whole blood was developed using headspace-solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and GC/MS. A 0.5 g whole blood sample, 5 microL naphthalene, fluorene, and anthracene (50 microg/mL) as spiked standards, and 0.5 mL sodium hydroxide were placed into a 12 mL vial and sealed rapidly. The vial was immediately heated to 70 degrees C in an aluminium block heater, the needle of the SPME device was inserted through the septum of the vial, and the extraction fiber was exposed to the headspace for 15 min. Afterwards, the compounds extracted by the fiber were desorbed simultaneously by exposing the fiber in the gas chromatograph injection port. No interferences were found, and the time for analysis was about 30 min for one sample. This method was applied to a suicide case in which the victim ingested naphthalene, fluorene, and anthracene.

Biodegradation of Direct Blue 15 by free and immobilized Trametes versicolor.

To investigate biodegradability by Trametes versicolor, five structurally different direct azo-dyes--Direct Black 38, Direct Blue 15 (DB 15), Direct Orange 26, Direct Green 6, and Direct Yellow 12--were studied. The DB 15 was determined as the best biodegradable dye by this white-rot fungus. Laccase and manganese peroxidase activities were monitored with the biodegradation process; it was observed that laccase played an important role in the dye degradation, while manganese peroxidase activity could not be detected. Possible degradation products also were examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, but no metabolite was detected after the degradation and/or decolorization process. To enhance performance of the fungi during the degradation, Trametes versicolor cells were immobilized in alginate beads. Then, DB 15 decolorization by immobilized Trametes versicolor was studied in a small-scale packed-bed reactor. The color removal efficiency in repeated batches was found to be 98 and 93% for 50 mg/L DB 15.

New Type Biomembrane: Transport and Biodegradation of Reactive Textile Dye.

In traditional separation processes, there are environmental risks still because of the presence of toxic agents. Thus, a novel biomembrane microreactor named eco-green biomembrane (EgBM) was developed to perform the transport, biodegradation, and cleaning of a textile dye aqueous solution (3 mg/L) from the donor (i.e., textile dye) to the acceptor (i.e., laccase enzymes) phases. In the present work, Morchella esculenta pellets were used as carriers and degraders instead of using the traditional chemical carriers. The optimized EgBM was made of cellulose triacetate (16.1%) as a base polymer, 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (25.2%) as a plasticizer, and M. esculenta fungus pellets (58.7%) as both carriers and degraders. A decoloration percentage of 98.6% ± 0.8 in 60 h was attained, which was due to two mechanisms: biosorption (15.4% ± 0.1) on fungal mycelium and biodegradation (83.2% ± 0.6) by laccase enzymes. The EgBM was achieved not only by the transport of reactive textile dyes used in the donor phase but also by the biodegradation and biosorption of the dyes.

Comparison of Remazol Brillant Blue Removal from Wastewater by Two Different Organisms and Analysis of Metabolites by GC/MS.

White rot fungus participates in biological degradation of many organic environmental pollutants. Also, white rot fungus contains a variety of extracellular enzymes, and these enzymes are used for biological degradation of organic matter. We investigated the biological treatment of synthetic dyes, at a low cost and in the shortest possible time, that are used especially in the dye and textile industries and are important polluting agents in the wastewater discharged into the environment by these industries. For this purpose, removal of Remazol Brillant Blue by Pleurotus ostreatus and Coprinus plicatilis was studied. This dye was removed 100% (dye concentration, 10.0 mg/L) by both organisms. Laccase and manganese peroxidase enzyme activities were also monitored. There was an attempt to identify metabolites via GC/MS at the end of the decolorization. No detectable metabolite was found.