Sustainable bioremediation of sugarcane vinasse using autochthonous macrofungi

Abstract

Vinasse is the main residue from bioethanol production. If discharged in water bodies, it can impair the photosynthetic process causing great damage to the environment. However, this wastewater could be considered a by-product and used as a substrate for obtaining value-added products. In the present work, two basidiomycetous fungi were selected based on their ability to decolorize vinasse and to synthesize lignocellulolytic enzymes in agar medium. Selected fungi were identified as Pycnoporus sp. P6 and Trametes sp. T3. In liquid cultures, both fungi demonstrated their capacity to decolorize and remove phenolic compounds from diluted vinasse, with the concomitant production of ligninolytic enzymes, mainly laccases, suggesting the participation of this enzyme in the bioremediation process. This study proposes that Pycnoporus sp. P6 and Trametes sp. T3 could be used in the design of cutting-edge sustainable biotechnological processes to remedy vinasse, simultaneously synthesizing oxidative enzymes, in an environmentally friendly way.