Application of Mushroom in Bioremediation of Toxic Heavy Metal Ions

Heavy metals have economic importance in industrial applications and are presently becoming a significant environmental concern. Components of heavy metals like As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Se, and Hg are considered systemic toxicants and induce various organ damage even at lower levels of exposure. Natural sources include metallurgy of metal-bearing rocks and volcanic eruptions, whereas mining and different industrial and agricultural operations are human sources to release them into the environment. In recent times, remediation of toxic metal pollution has been a major environmental and technological challenge all over the world. Several physiochemical strategies have been used in the past to remove heavy metals from the environment. But, it has adverse repercussions, including power dissipation, incompetence for inherently dangerous ions, pernicious by-products, and high cost; hence, alternative strategies are necessary. Biosorption and its operational processes have been very effective in the removal of hazardous heavy metals and display features like eco-friendly, high efficiency, and economic viability, and can be used repeatedly, showing selective metal binding, effective desorption, and recycling of adsorbents. Different biological agents like algae, bacteria, fungi, and yeast can be employed to carry out bioremediation, especially mycoremediation. The potential of fungal biomass (Mushrooms) as a biosorbent is well accepted for the removal of toxic heavy metals and radionuclides from the environment because of its excellent metal-binding characteristics and tolerance towards metals and unfavourable environmental conditions like diverse pH and temperature conditions. Mushrooms, macro-fungi, have fruiting bodies that grow out of a mass of mycelium and can build up heavy metals in high concentrations in their bodies above maximum permissible concentrations and may also act as an effective biosorption tool. High accumulation potential and shorter life span are some of the advantages of using mushrooms as biosorbents and exhibiting excellent mycoremediation potential.

Keywords: Bioremediation, Macro-fungi, Miosorbents, Mycoremediation.