Kristen Bullough

“Mycoremediation: The Potential Effect of Fungi on Remediating Heavy Metal Pollution”

Kristen Bullough, PhD Candidate, Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University

Abstract

Mycoremediation can be used as a bioremediation tool to remove heavy metals and other pollutants from contaminated sites, including soil and wastewater. Remediating heavy-metal pollution specifically is becoming critical to maintaining important ecosystems and human health around the world (Anyanwu et al. 2018; CDC 2016; Zhao et al. 2022). Fungi has many potential benefits as remediation tools, such as low-cost, biodegradation ability, and high accumulation of heavy metal (Akpasi et. al. 2023; Kulshreshtha et al. 2014; Kumar et al. 2021); but there are many factors, such as temperature and pH, that contribute to the success of mycoremediation. There are many mechanisms for mycoremediation, including biotransformation, biodegradation, and sequestration. In this talk, two case studies will be discussed. The first study was on the tolerance of Pleurotus spp. in the presence of copper, cobalt, and nickel (Mohamadhasani and Rahimi 2022). In the second study, the authors utilized fungal species isolated from sites contaminated with heavy metals (cadmium, lead, chromium, and nickel) to determine their tolerance and capabilities of heavy metal uptake. They also looked at the ability of the tolerant species when exposed to a single heavy metal versus a combination of heavy metals (Joshi et al. 2011). More studies are needed to verify the potential uses of mycoremediation for remediating polluted sites.

For more information about Kristen’s seminar please see the seminar announcement.