Degradation of bisphenol A by different fungal laccases and identification of its degradation products

• Oxidation of BPA by different fungal laccases.
• HBT enhances the BPA-degradation kinetics.
• GC–MS has been developed to identify the biodegradation products of BPA.
• The pathways for BPA degradation by Coriolopsis gallica laccase is proposed.

Different fungal laccases were used as biocatalysts for the biotransformation of bisphenol A (BPA). The quantitative analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) showed that BPA is more rapidly oxidized by Coriolopsis gallica laccase among the different fungal laccases tested. Carboxylic acid derivatives such as tartaric acid was found as BPA degradation products resulting from reactions catalyzed by 1 U ml−1 of laccase from C. gallica in the presence of 1 mM of the laccase-mediator 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT), while β-hydroxybutyric acid resulted from oxidative reactions without HBT. BPA was completely removed within 3 h and pyroglutamic acid was found as a supplementary oxidative degradation product from HBT when identified by GC–MS. Laccase played a critical role in BPA biodegradation and catalyzed a cross-coupling reaction.