Dibutyl phthalate biodegradation by the white rot fungus, Polyporus brumalis

In this study, white rot fungus, Polyporus brumalis, was applied to degrade dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a major environmental pollutant. The degradation potential and resulting products were evaluated with HPLC and GC/MS. As DBP concentration increased to 250, 750, and 1,250 μM, the mycelial growth of P. brumalis was inhibited. However, growth was still observed in the 1,250 μM concentration. DBP was nearly eliminated from culture medium of P. brumalis within 12 days, with 50% of DBP adsorbed by the mycelium. Diethyl phthalate (DEP) and monobutyl phthalate (MBP) were detected as intermediate degradation products of DBP. In culture medium, the concentration of DEP was higher than that of MBP during the incubation period. After 12-15 days, the concentrations of both decreased rapidly in the culture medium. The primary final degradation product of DBP in culture medium was phthalic acid anhydride, as well as trace amounts of aromatic compounds, such as α-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, benzyl alcohol, and O-hydroxyphenylacetic acid. According to these results, the degradation of DBP in culture medium by the white rot fungus, P. brumalis, may be completed through two pathways - transesterification and de-esterification - which successively combine into an intracellular degradation pathway.