QUANTIFICATION OF PENTACHLOROPHENOL TRANSFORMATION PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION IN THE PRESENCE OF PHANEROCHAETE-CHRYSOSPORIUM

Experiments were carried out to quantify the mineralization and distri bution of pentachlorophenol (PCP) by the white rot fungus Phanerochaet e chrysosporium, and distribution of its transformation products into water-soluble, solvent-soluble, sorbed, and volatile fractions in liqu id cultures. Water-soluble and solvent-soluble products from C-14-PCP transformation were first measured under oxygen limited conditions. Re sults indicated that after 12 days, 15% of C-14 was recovered in methy lene chloride, and less than 1% was water soluble. Sorption to the fun gal mat reached a maximum of 16% C-14 after 9 days incubation and decl ined to 5% at day 12. However, recovery of C-14 within the system was only 30% at day 12. To improve the mass balance of the system, polyure thane foam was placed inside the culture flask to trap volatile produc ts of PCP transformation. Results showed that after 12 days incubation of C-14-PCP with the fungus, 82% of the C-14 added was volatilized. G C/MS analysis demonstrated that pentachloroanisole (PCA) was the only volatile product of PCP transformation. Sorption of C-14 to the fungal mat was reversible to some extent. Chemical mass balance results in t his experiment were near 100%. In the final experiment, the polyuretha ne volatile trap was placed outside the culture flask to assess the im pact of the continuous removal of volatiles from the flask head space on mineralization. Increased (CO2)-C-14 production was observed when t he polyurethane volatile trap was placed outside the culture flask com pared with placement inside the flask.