Biodegradation and biodetoxification of phenanthrene mixture with anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene; an in-depth study on Phellinus noxius BRB 11 potentials, isolated from Berbak-Sembilang Biosphere Reserve, Indonesia

Biodegradation of Pah mixtures is an eco-friendly practice that requires the exploration of efficientmicrobes. in this study, three fungal species; Phellinus noxius BRB 11, Leiotrametes menziesii BRB73, and Ceriporia lacerata BRB 81, were screened for phenanthrene (Phe) degradation. Manganeseperoxidase (MnP) and laccase activities were analyzed before and after the degradation. Followingthe screening, further degradation was performed by P. noxius BRB 11 using the following seventreatments: Phe, anthracene (aNt), Benzo (a) pyrene (BaP), Phe–aNt, Phe–BaP, aNt–BaP, andaNt–Phe–BaP. the transformed metabolites and metabolic pathways were determined by gaschromatography-mass spectrometry (Gc-Ms). Phytotoxicity and cytotoxicity were investigatedusing Artemia salina and Vigna radiata. the primary screening revealed P. noxius BRB 11 to be apotential strain based on 95% Phe degradation, followed by 24%, and 26% using L. menziesii BRB73 and C. lacerata BRB 81, respectively. Further research was carried out using only P. noxius BRB11 to degrade Pahs in single and mixture forms. co-degradation was observed above 90% exceptfor aNt, while single degradation demonstrated high values for aNt and lower for BaP. Pathwayanalysis of P. noxius BRB 11 confirmed ten metabolites with lower toxicity in both phytotoxicityand cytotoxicity assays. this study provides a foundation for the practical applications of whiterot fungal species in Pah degradation.