Degradation of petroleum oil by white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Degradation of petroleum oil by Phanerochaete chrysosporium was investigated. At initial concentration of 1,000 mg/liter, about 60% of heavy oil was degraded during 22 days of incubation in liquid cultures. For the purpose of learning the ability of P.chrysosporium to degrade polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), degradation of phenanthrene in liquid culture was also investigated. At initial concentration of 10 mg/liter, about 60% of phenanthrene was degraded during 7 days of incubation. The activities of extracellular lignin degrading enzymes (ligninases) synthesized by P.chrysosporium were measured, and it seems that ligninases might relate to degradation. P.chrysosporium immobilized on wood chips was mixed with soil contaminated by heavy oil at initial concentration of 5,000 mg/kg-soil, and about 20% of heavy oil was degraded during 14 days of incubation.