Fungal degradation of fluorene.

A selection of 30 strains of micromycetes known as good degraders of polychlorinated aromatic compounds, mostly isolated from soil and belonging to various taxonomic groups, have been investigated to degrade fluorene. Toxicity assays, first evaluated on solid media, have shown high growth inhibition at concentrations above 0.001 g l-1 only towards 23% of strains. Degradation of fluorene (0.005 g l-1) was then investigated in liquid synthetic medium for 2 days and evaluated by HPLC. Among the 30 strains tested, 12 could be considered as best degraders because of a rate of degradation at 60% or over. 3 strains of Cunninghamella genus were very efficient (mean of degradation: 96%) but different strains from Ascomycetes. Basidiomycetes and Deuteromycetes were also efficient 11 strains are not yet reported in the literature: Aspergillus terreus, Bjerkandera adusta, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, Colletotrichum dematium, Cryphonectria parasitica, Cunninghamella blakesleeana, C. echinulata, Drechslera spicifera, Embellisia annulata, Rhizoctonia solani and Sporormiella australis. A metabolic approach with standard compounds (9-fluorenol and 9-fluorenone) indicated the presence of these monooxygenated derivatives for most of the strains.