Pleurotus eryngii, a white rot fungus, produces two extracellular lignin-degrading enzymes, laccase and manganese peroxidase (MnP). Owing to these enzymes, P. eryngii efficiently degrades synthetic chemicals such as azo, phthalocyanine, and triphenyl methane dyes. In this study, we investigated the degradation processes of four aromatic dyes, congo red (CR), methylene blue (MB), crystal violet (CV), and malachite green (MG), by P. eryngii under solid and liquid culture conditions. CR and MG were the most quickly degraded under solid and liquid culture conditions, respectively. However, compared to CR, CV, and MG, MB was not degraded well under both culture conditions. The activities of ligninolytic enzymes (laccase and MnP) were also investigated. Laccase was identified to be the major enzyme for dye degradation. A positive relationship between decolorization and enzyme activity was observed for CR, MB, and CV degradation. In contrast, decolorization of MG ensued after high enzyme activity. These results indicate that the degradation process differs between MG and the other aromatic dyes. Therefore, P. eryngii could be a potential tool for the bioremediation of synthetic aromatic dye effluent.

• 임경환(인천대학교 생명과학부) | Kyung-Hoan Im (Division of Life Sciences, Incheon National University, (Songdo-dong) 119 Academy-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 22012, Korea)
• 백승아(인천대학교 생명과학부) | Seung-A Baek (Division of Life Sciences, Incheon National University, (Songdo-dong) 119 Academy-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 22012, Korea)
• 이태수(인천대학교 생명과학부) | Tae Soo Lee (Division of Life Sciences, Incheon National University, (Songdo-dong) 119 Academy-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 22012, Korea) Corresponding author