Recent developments in the production of extracellular fungal peroxidases and laccases for waste treatment

The use of enzymes for the treatment or the removal of environmental and industrial pollutants has attracted increasing attention because of their high efficiency, high selectivity, and environmentally benign reactions. Of these enzymes studied for such purposes, extracellular fungal peroxidases, such as lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase and Coprinus cinereus peroxidase, and fungal laccases are the two major classes of enzymes that have been evaluated for the removal of toxic phenolic compounds from industrial wastewater and the degradation of recalcitrant xenobiotics. Numerous reports have been published recently on the improvements of the production of these enzymes, such as discovery of new fungal strains, modification of growth conditions, use of inducers, and use of cheaper growth substrates such as agricultural and food wastes. In this review, these recent advances in the production of extracellular fungal peroxidases and laccases, along with brief summaries of background of these enzymes and their applications, are discussed. Key words: Arthromyces ramosus peroxidase, Coprinus peroxidase, degradation, fermentation, laccase, lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase, phenols, wastewater treatment, xenobiotics.