Pyrolysis/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry monitoring of fungal-biotreated distillery wastewater using Trametes sp I-62 (CECT 20197)

Distillery wastewaters generated by ethanol production from fermentation of sugar-cane molasses, named vinasses, lead to important ecological impact d ue to their high content of soluble organic matter and their intense dark-b rown color. Taking advantage of the well-known ability of white-rot fungi t o degrade an extensive variety of organic pollutants, the capacity of Trame tes sp, I-62 (CECT 20197) to detoxify this type of effluents was evaluated. In this work, pyrolysis/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was applied t o the chemical characterization of several fractions of Cuban distillery wa stewater as well as to monitoring the changes which occurred after fungal t reatment with this white-rot basidiomycete, Maximum effluent decolorization values and chemical oxygen demand reduction attained after seven days of f ungal treatment were 73.3 and 61.7%, respectively, when 20% (v/v) of distil lery vinasses was added to the culture medium. Under these conditions a 35- fold increase in laccase production by Trametes sp, I-62 was measured, but no manganese peroxidase activity could be detected. The pyrolysis/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry results showed a decreas e in a number of pyrolysis products after seven days of fungal treatment, m ainly furan derivatives. The decrease in the relative areas of these compou nds could be related to the vinasse color-removal associated with melanoidi n degradation. All these results indicated the potential use of Trametes sp , I-62 in the detoxification of recalcitrant distillery,vinasses. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.