Biotechnology Letters, Vol.20, No.4, 355-358, 1998
Removal of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene and 2,4-dinitrotoluene by fungi (Ceratocystis coerulescens, Lentinus lepideus and Trichoderma harzianum)
At an initial concentration of 50 mg/l in liquid culture, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was totally transformed by the three following fungi : Ceratocystis coerulescens, Lentinus lepideus and Trichoderma harzianum. 2,4-Dinitrotoluene (DNT) was also degraded by C. coerulescens and T. harzianum but not by L. lepideus. Composition of the culture medium in terms of carbon and nitrogen affected the transformation of TNT and DNT into amino-intermediates. These metabolites accounted for less than one quarter of the initial concentration of aromatics. In some instances, these transient intermediates disappeared at the end of the incubation period.