TRANSFORMATION OF FREE TETRACHLOROGUAIACOL TO BOUND COMPOUNDS BY FUNGI ISOLATED FROM LAKE BONNEY, SOUTH-EASTERN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Chlorophenolic compounds have persisted in water and sediments of Lake Bonney, southeastern South Australia, following discontinuation of ch lorine bleaching at a sulfite-based pulp mill that discharges effluent into the lake. During assessment of the persistence of chlorophenolic s, several species of fungi isolated from lake water and from a drain that discharges mill effluent into the lake were studied for their cap acities to degrade these compounds. Epicoccum sp., Mucor circinelloide s and Penicillium expansum decreased concentrations of the free form o f tetrachloroguaiacol in a mineral-salts medium. This was due not to d egradation of the compound but to conversion to bound forms. These bou nd forms of tetrachloroguaiacol were resistant to degradation by a T. harzianum isolate that had previously been found capable of degrading free tetrachloroguaiacol.