## 1 Introduction  
Environmental contamination by hazardous pollutants is a serious and challenging problem of the present time. The range of pollutants, which enter the environment as a result of human economic activities and natural processes, is very broad and includes several class of compounds (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), synthetic dyes,detergents, chlorinated compounds, pharmaceutical compounds, dioxins, plastics, etc.) and resulting mixtures (creosote, oil, etc.). The discharge and accidental entry of pollutants into the environment is a serious problem, especially when the biodegradation activity of the natural microbiota is insufficient for their removal or neutralization. Natural ecosystems have great detoxification potential, which is ensured by the degradative activity of different organisms. These include basidio- and ascomycetes, some of the most numerous groups of the kingdom of Fungi. The ability of fungi to degrade a wide range of natural compounds and xenobiotics is an important part of the self-purification ability of ecosystems and can be used for the development of ecological biotechnologies [1]. Currently, an active search for technologies of bioremediation of contaminated soils and water is in progress. The fungal degradation or transformation of hazardous organic compounds is called mycoremediation [2; 3; 4; 5]. This simple and relatively inexpensive biotechnology could be applied to the remediation of soil and water polluted by industrial and agricultural waste, oil, and its byproducts, and a wide range of xenobiotics) [2; 3; 4; 5; 6]. Fungi fulfill various functions in ecosystems and have great degradation potential; therefore, they are attractive candidates for use in mycoremediation technologies. However, detailed studies of the degradative properties of fungi and their adaptation to pollution are necessary before they are used for mycoremediation. Ligninolytic fungi are an eco-physiological group of wood- and soil-inhibiting basidio- and ascomycetes, which are uniquely able to depolymerize and mineralize lignin in nature. The following properties make these fungi attractive for use in mycoremediation: (1) the ability to decompose and mineralize a wide range of persistent aromatic compounds that are structurally similar to the compounds formed during biosynthesis or biodegradation of lignin; (2) the wide distribution in nature; (3) the ability to grow on cheap natural substrates which can easily be introduced to polluted soil; (4) growth in the form of hyphae, allowing them to reach pollutants that are inaccessible to bacteria; (5) the production of a powerful extracellular nonspecific oxidative enzyme system; (6) the presence of low-molecular-weight mediators that may increase the susceptibility of pollutants to enzymatic attack; (7) the production of constitutive forms of ligninolytic enzymes regardless of the presence of pollutants, which prevent the adaptation of the organism to contamination conditions [1; 2; 7]. The polymeric and hydrophobic structure of the macromolecule of lignin determines the properties of the degrading enzyme system, which is extracellular, nonspecific, and nonhydrolytic. Ligninolytic fungi produce four main groups of lignin-modifying enzymes: lignin peroxididases (EC 1.11.1.14), Mn-dependent peroxididases (Mn-peroxidases, EC 1.11.1.13), versatile peroxididases (EC 1.11.1.16), and lacases (EC 1.10.3.2) [7]. This enzymatic system allows fungi to transform and mineralize, in addition to lignin, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyl, halogenated aromatic compounds, nitro- and amino-substituted phenols, synthetic dyes, PAHs, etc. [7; 8; 9]. Only a few studies have reported the use of ligninolytic fungi for the mycoremediation of sites contaminated by complex mixtures of pollutants, such as creosote and oil [10; 11; 12; 13; 14]. Many persistent environmental pollutants are represented by hydrophobic compounds. Their bioavailability can limit the fungal attack [15].