FungiEco Editorial Team Type: Commercial fungal biotechnologyLocation: USA Mycelium technology is not limited to environmental remediation. Ecovative has developed manufacturing processes that use fungal mycelium to bind plant-derived materials into useful products. One of the best-known applications has been moulded packaging intended to replace some conventional petroleum-derived foam packaging. Its significance for applied mycology is larger than the … Read more
Type: Field-scale remediation studyLocation: Mississippi, USA An abandoned wood-treatment facility provided the setting for a year-long field-scale investigation into heavily creosote-contaminated soil. Researchers constructed biopiles and investigated several methods intended to encourage biodegradation, including forced aeration, addition of plant material and application of Cladosporium fungus. This is useful historical work because it illustrates an important … Read more
Type: Experimental bioreactorLocation: Spain Another research programme investigated fungal treatment of water contaminated with diuron, an agricultural herbicide. Four lignin-degrading fungi were examined, with Trametes versicolor emerging as the strongest candidate under the experimental conditions. Researchers subsequently investigated how operating conditions affected removal when the fungus was incorporated into a trickle-bed reactor. The study is … Read more
Type: Experimental bioreactorLocation: Spain Researchers investigated whether the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor could remove bentazone, a widely used agricultural herbicide, from contaminated water. After promising flask experiments, the researchers moved the fungus into a trickle-bed reactor where it was immobilised on pine woodchips and operated under non-sterile conditions. Performance was lower than in the controlled … Read more
Type: Experimental water treatmentLocation: USA More recent research has examined Stropharia rugosoannulata, oyster mushrooms and other fungi as biological filters for water contaminated with pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Researchers grew dense fungal networks through woodchips and exposed them to contaminated wetland water. Stropharia rugosoannulata performed particularly well against several of the organisms tested, although effectiveness … Read more
Type: Applied research / mycofiltrationLocation: Washington, USA Researchers investigated whether woodchip and straw filters colonised by fungi could reduce E. coli in contaminated stormwater. Species tested included Stropharia, Pleurotus and Irpex fungi. The work is particularly interesting because it moved beyond simply demonstrating fungal activity in a laboratory dish. Water was actually passed through colonised … Read more
Runoff from animal areas can carry manure, urine, bedding, feed residues, soil and cleaning water into surrounding ground or waterways. On a small property, the volumes may seem modest, but repeated runoff from yards, shelters, pens, milking areas or manure-handling zones can create persistent problems. These may include muddy ground, unpleasant odours, nutrient build-up, oxygen … Read more
Mycofiltration is an emerging approach to managing contaminated water with the help of fungi growing through an organic filter medium. In an agricultural setting, that medium may include woodchips, bark or other woody materials colonised by fungal mycelium. The resulting bed can intercept runoff before it reaches a ditch, drain, wetland or stream. It is … Read more
Woodchip beds can be more than a surface mulch. Designed in the right place, a deep layer of woody material can become a living landscape feature that slows runoff, stores moisture, supports decomposition and provides habitat for fungi. It can also help connect water-management areas with trees, shrubs, rain gardens and other planted parts of … Read more
Rain gardens, bioswales and other vegetated stormwater features are often described as hydraulic infrastructure: they slow runoff, hold water temporarily and help protect streams from sediment and pollutants. They are also living soil systems. Beneath the plants and mulch, fungi form part of a wider community that includes bacteria, plant roots, earthworms and other soil … Read more