Laccases from Marine Organisms and Their Applications in the Biodegradation of Toxic and Environmental Pollutants: a Review

Abstract

The discharge of industrial effluent creates environmental problems around the world and so necessitates the need for the economically expensive and sometimes technically problematic treatment of the wastewater. Laccases have enormous potential for the oxidative bioremediation of toxic xenobiotic compounds using only molecular oxygen as the sole cofactor for their reaction, and their application is regarded as environmentally friendly. Due to the low substrate specificity of laccases, they can oxidize a variety of substrates. Moreover, by using appropriate mediators, laccases can degrade a wide range of substrates, including those with structural complexity. Thus, laccases are an attractive alternative for wastewater treatment. Marine environments are rich in microorganisms that are exposed to extreme conditions, such as salinity, temperature, and pressure. Laccases from these microorganisms potentially have suitable properties that might be adaptive to bioremediation processes. This review provides the latest information on laccases from marine environments, their sources, biochemical properties, media composition for laccase production, and their applications in the bioremediation of industrial waste, especially focusing on dye decolorization.

Keywords: Bioremediation; Dye decolorization; Laccase; Marine environment; Xenobiotic compounds.