The degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) by laccase was investigated. Laccase catalyzed oxidation of phenanthrene, solubilized in the surfactant Tween 20, exhibited an absolute requirement for the mediator compound 1-hydroxybenzotriazole. When Tween 80 was used as the solubilizing agent, the oxidation rates were more than six times higher as compared to Tween 20. Using the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) assay, it was shown that the laccase-HBT couple peroxidized linoleic acid. The results suggest that unsaturated fatty acids present in Tween 80 are responsible for the enhanced degradation of phenanthrene by laccase-HBT. The system comprising laccase, HBT, and Tween 80 was applied to the sixteen EPA priority PAH with the result that all of the PAH were extensively degraded.

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