The potential of Trametes villosa and Pycnoporus sanguineus to decolorize reactive textile dyes used for cotton manufacturing in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, was evaluated. Growth and decolorization halos were determined on malt extract agar containing 0.002g L -1 of the dye. T. villosa decolorized all 28 of the tested dyes while P. sanguineus decolorized only 9. The effect of culture conditions (shaking and dye and nitrogen concentration) on the degradation of Drimaren Brilliant Blue dye was evaluated during growth of the fungi in liquid synthetic medium. Shaking favored degradation and decolorization was not repressed by nitrogen. In pure culture, T. villosa and P. sanguineus decolorized synthetic effluent consisting of a mixture of 10 dyes. Higher decolorization of the synthetic effluent was observed when a mixed culture of the two fungi was used. This study demonstrated differences between tropical basidiomycete species in terms of their ability to degrade reactive dyes, and reinforces the potential of this group of fungi for the decolorization of textile effluents.

The objective of the present study was to develop and characterize a support for the immobilization of Psilocybe castanella in order to optimize the process of incorporation of fungal inoculum into the soil. The ceramic supports were fabricated from slate powder in the shape of hollow spheres by the slip casting technique (suspension: 40% v/v). The sintering temperature was evaluated in the range of 850-1,070°C and porosity was analyzed by mercury intrusion. The temperature of 1,050°C was the most adequate for sintering of the ceramic supports, with the porosity obtained being less than 1%. The fungus was immobilized on the ceramic supports containing lignocellulosic substrate using disks of fungal mycelium grown on 2% malt agar as the inoculum. Fungal biomass was estimated by the quantification of ergosterol. Peroxidase and laccase activities were determined by the oxidation of ABTS in the presence and absence of H 2 O 2 , respectively. The efficiency of the immobilized inoculum was tested in a grinder containing coarse sand for 45 min at 75 rpm. The supports were colonized with P. castanella and enzymatic activities were detected after the fifth day of fungal growth. Immobilization of the fungus on the ceramic support provided 80% protection of the inoculum against loss of efficiency during mixture with soil. The results demonstrate the potential of the ceramic supports produced with slate powder for immobilization of basidiomycetous fungi and for application to soil bioremediation processes.