Biodecontamination of aqueous substrates from bisphenol A by ligninolytic fungi

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor compound of health concern in natural systems. In this study, BPA removal from solid and aqueous matrices by ligninolytic fungi was investigated. Three white rot fungi, Trametes versicolor (TRA), Stereum hirsutum (STE) and Pleurotus ostreatus (PLE) were evaluated for their capacity to remove BPA added at concentrations of 4.6 and 46 mg L-1 from potato dextrose agar (PDA) growth medium and at 4.6 mg L-1 from aqueous solutions. Further, the inhibition of mycelial growth exerted by BPA was evaluated in the experiments with PDA. Results obtained showed that BPA was toxic for TRA and STE only at the higher concentration in PDA. However, the efficiency of the three fungi for BPA removal was significant at either doses, with TRA showing the maximum removal efficiency. In the experiments in aqueous solutions BPA was removed efficiently only by TRA after 7 days and STE after 10 days.