Can Mushrooms Help Clean Up Oil Spills?
Fungi Can Break Down Toxic Waste. Yes mushrooms can be used to clean up toxic waste. Certain strains of these miraculous fungi can actually thrive on hydrocarbon deposits and break them down into harmless compost in a short time. Inoculating soil with mushrooms reduces contamination. Mushroom-forming fungi produce 120 enzymes, some of which break down a wide variety of hydrocarbon toxins. In experiments it was found that oyster mushroom mycelium reduced the hydrocarbon concentration in diesel-contaminated soil from 10,000 ppm to less than 200 ppm in 16 weeks. It was also found that mycelial treatment of soil so contaminated that it did not support worm life made it safe for them after it reduced the toxins below the lethal threshold. Mushrooms also have the ability to break down carcinogenic substances in toxic spills. Mushrooms Aren’t Strange, They’re Allies. The fungi was the first organism on earth to live on dry land, since they survive on radiation without the need for direct sunl
