Phenol removal from aqueous solution by fungal peroxidases Available to Purchase

Aromatic compounds may be removed from aqueous solution by extra-cellular peroxidase enzymes that target specific classes of aromatic compounds. Phenol removal by commercially available extra-cellular enzyme, Arthromyces ramosus peroxidase (ARP), was studied at several temperatures and pH values. The optimal pH for phenol removal was found to lie within the range of pH 7 to 8, and was not affected by temperature. At neutral pH, phenol removal increased with decreasing temperature within the range of 0 °C to 30 °C. Coprinus cinereus peroxidase (CIP) was produced by Coprinus cinereus UAMH 4103 in a stirred fermentor; the fermentor broth was filtered, and used in phenol removal tests at room temperature. The impurities remaining in the crude enzyme solutions following filtration produced a beneficial effect on phenol removal from the buffered aqueous solution. However, greater phenol removal was observed in un-buffered solutions compared to removals achieved in solutions that contained phosphate buffer. Key words: phenol removal, Coprinus cinereus peroxidase, Arthromyces ramosus peroxidase, enzymatic treatment.