Twelve basidiomycetes were investigated for their ability to degrade 13 industrial dyes and to treat four model wastewaters from textile and tannery industry, defined on the basis of discharged amounts, economic relevance and representativeness of chemical structures of the contained dyes. The best degradation yields were recorded for one strain of Bjerkandera adusta able to completely decolourise most of the dyes and to decolourise and detoxify three simulated wastewaters, showing a significant physiological versatility which is very useful for application purposes. The effects of different nutrient sources were investigated in order to optimize the yields of decolourisation and detoxification. Manganese-peroxidase and manganese-independent peroxidase were the only recorded enzymatic activities. In order to evaluate its true bioremediation potential, this strain was packed in a fixed-bed bioreactor, for treatment of large volumes of a real wastewater. The fungus resulted effective during 10 cycles of decolourisation, remaining active for a very long period, in non-sterile conditions. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.