Pentachlorophenol (PCP) removal by Pleurotus pulmonarius grown in submerged cultures in the presence and
absence of laccase inducers was studied in this work. When PCP was added to a final concentration of 25 mg·L-1 in
submerged cultures actively producing laccase, 70% of the PCP was removed after 96 h. The removal of PCP was
less than 20% in the cultures with low laccase activity. The results suggested that laccase played an important role
in the biodegradation of PCP by P. pulmonarius and that for bioremediation purposes the fungus must be cultured
under the conditions of active laccase production.
