Review of environmental organopollutants degradation by whiterot basidiomycete mushrooms

White-rot fungi consist of a group of basidiomycetes that are able to remove lignin, cellulose, and hemicelluloses concurrently at approximately equal rates. These fungi produce three enzymes commonly known as lignin-modifying enzymes (LMEs) that are responsible for the degradation of wood components. These enzymes are produced during the secondary metabolism under an obligatory aerobic process and are induced by nutrient starvation, low pH, and high concentrations of Mn. We focused this review on the source of environmental organopollutants and the role that these white-rot fungi play on the transformation or mineralization of the environmental contaminants. These recalcitrant compounds originate mainly from human contamination. White-rot fungi or their enzymes showed mineralization of many environmental contaminants such as 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT), 2, 4, 6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT); polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s); wood preservatives; some synthetic dyes; and bleach-derived from paper producing plants