Fundamental study of degradation of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soil by laccase from white rot fungi

This research describes application of laccase from white-rot fungi [polyporus] to remove dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soil. The degradation kinetics of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soil was also investigated by laboratory batch experiments. The results showed that laccase from white-rot fungi can effectively degrade dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and the degradation of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [the sum of the four dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane compounds in a sample] was pseudo-first-order kinetics. The residues of almost all the dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane components and total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soils treated with laccase decreased rapidly during first 15 days and then kept at a stable level during next 10 days. The residues of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soils with different dosages laccase decreased by about 21-32%, 29-45%, 35-51% and 36-51% after 5, 10, 15 and 25 days of incubation, respectively. The half-life of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soils with different dosages laccase ranged from 24.75 to 41.75 days. The residues of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in three different types of soils decreased by 25-29%, 39-43%, 44-47% and 47-52% after 5, 10, 15 and 25 days of incubation with laccase, respectively. The half-life of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in different types of soil ranged from 24.71 to 27.68 days. The residues of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soils with different pH levels decreased by 18-24%, 29-39%, 36-39% and 39-50% after 5, 10, 15 and 25 days of incubation with laccase, respectively. The half-life of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane ranged from 25.63 to 36.42 days. Laccase can be an efficient and safe agent for remediation of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-contaminated soil