Fungal treatment for recalcitrant compounds removal In raw leachate and synthetic mixtures

Recalcitrant compounds represent a serious concern in wastewater treatment since biological processes, based on bacterial degradation, are not suitable for their removal. Recently, the capability of white-rot fungi (WRF) in transforming recalcitrant pollutants generated a significant interest among bio-based industries. This study focused on the treatment of 3 effluents with the white-rot fungus Bjerkandera adusta MUT 2295 in batch tests. B. adusta MUT 2295 was selected during a previous experiment due to its ability to act towards a raw leachate sample (Italy). Treatment efficiency of B. adusta was evaluated on a) landfill leachate (Canada) and b) two synthetic recalcitrant solutions prepared with 1) tannic and 2) humic acid. Different parameters such as the pH of the treated effluent, its chemical oxygen demand (COD) , enzymatic activities and glucose consumption of B. adusta during the treatment were monitored for 10 days. COD removal was up to 49%, 61% and 49% in in raw leachate and the two synthetic solutions. Moreover, color removal between 25% and 49% was achieved in 1 week. Results obtained encourage further investigations on the use of the selected white-rot fungus.