FIELD-EVALUATION OF THE LIGNIN-DEGRADING FUNGUS PHANEROCHAETE-SORDIDATO TREAT CREOSOTE-CONTAMINATED SOIL

A field study to determine the ability of selected lignin-degrading fu ngi to remediate soil contaminated with creosote was performed at a wo od-treating facility in south central Mississippi in the autumn of 199 1. The effects of solid-phase bioremediation with Phanerochaete sordid a and of two control treatments on soil concentrations of 14 priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) components of creosote were followed for 56 days. PAH analytes containing greater-than-or-eq ual-to 5 rings persisted at their original concentrations in all treat ments. However, depletion of 3-ring (85-95%) and 4-ring (24-72%) analy tes after 56 days was greater in the fungal treatment than in control treatments in all cases. This finding demonstrates the potential of li gnin-degrading fungi in the solid-phase bioremediation of creosote-con taminated soils. However, the persistence of the larger analytes repre sents a significant challenge to this developing technology.