EN
Laccases are blue copper oxidases, found in
some plants and secreted by a wide range of ligninolytic
fungi. These enzymes are well known for their ability in
oxidizing several organic compounds, mainly phenolics
and aromatic amines, at the expenses of molecular
oxygen. Therefore, they could find application in the
field of enzymatic bioremediation of many industrial
wastewaters, and in particular to bleach and/or detoxify
dye-containing effluents. Not all industrial dyes behave as
laccase substrates, but this limitation is often overcome
by the judicious use of redox mediators. These could
substantially widen the application range of laccases as
bioremediation tools. The present study encompasses
the main properties of the most used industrial dyes as
related to their chemical classification, fungal laccases
and their molecular and catalytic features, the use of
redox mediators, limitations and perspectives of the use
of fungal laccases for industrial dye bleaching.