Extracellular phenol oxidase patterns during depolymerization of low-rank coal by three basidiomycetes

The activity of ligninolytic phenol oxidases from three white rot fungi, Py cnoporus cinnabarinus Polyporus ciliatus, and an unidentified basidiomycete , during the reaction with low-rank coal were studied. Even though, each fu ngus displayed a unique phenol oxidase pattern all three strains decolorize d and depolymerized the substrate demonstrating that alternative extracellu lar enzyme systems and their respective cofactors are capable of degrading low-rank coal.