Biodegradation of phenolic resin used in leather processing by laccase producing Trichoderma aureoviridae

The present study focuses on the biodegradation of phenolic syntan, a widely used environmental pollutant in leather processing. Syntans contain phenolic hydroxyl groups and have the ability to react with collagen to produce leather. Presence of refractory organic compounds like tannin in tannery wastewater imparts recalcitrance and toxicity. Hence, the present study was carried out to degrade phenolic syntan (Basyntan DI) at varying concentrations using lignocellulosic fungi Trichoderma aureoviridae. After the degradation, the samples were analyzed for various physiochemical parameters like COD, BOD, total organic carbon (TOC) and total phenol content (TPC). Any changes in the functional group as a result of biodegradation were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The disorder in aromaticity coupled to reduction in peak intensity was indicative of biodegradation and amenability to treatment. The experimental data revealed that the phenolic syntan at a concentration of 500 ppm exhibited a significant and higher percentage of degradability compared to other concentrations tested.