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7821535 
Journal Article 
Evaluation of two fungal strains for the degradation of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) 
Rodarte-Morales, A; Moreira, MT; Feijoo, G; Lema, JM 
2010 
Chemical Engineering Transactions
ISSN: 1974-9791 
Aidic Servizi Srl 
Padua, ITALY 
Chemical Engineering Transactions 
20 
31-36 
English 
Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) refers to any compound used for personal health or cosmetic reasons. After their consumption, these products are released into the environment at low doses and are hardly degraded in wastewater treatment plant (WWTPs). A potential alternative to attain effective degradation may be based on the use of white-rot fungi (WRF), a group of microorganisms capable of degrading recalcitrant compounds, thanks to the enzymes that they secrete. The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of elimination of seven PPCPs by two fungal strains, an anamorph of Bjerkandera sp. R1 and Phanerochaete chrysosporium. The results reported total elimination of Diclofenac (DCF), Ibuprofen (IBP), Naproxen (NPX), Carbamazepine (CBZ) and the fragrances (ADBI, HHCB and AHTN) by the two fungal strains after 14 days of incubation in cultures with pellets; whereas the tranquilizer Diazepam (DZP) was partially removed in percentages from 27% up to 54%. In the case of cultures with immobilized fungi, the anti-inflammatories were the only compounds totally removed; meanwhile CBZ, DZP and the fragrances were partially removed demonstrating a partial removal of 44%.