[PCA] NIH RESEARCH BRIEF: Using fungi to clean up contaminated soil

[De Angelis, Patricia]

>From the National Institute of Environmental health Sciences -- Superfund Research Program
Released 8/5/2020

Native fungal communities point to a new way of cleaning up contaminated soil. After conducting a study to characterize fungi found in soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), researchers at the NIEHS-funded Superfund Research Program at Duke University discovered a group of fungi that may be promising for remediation.

Fungi are known to degrade a range of chemicals in the lab; however, they are not commonly used to break down chemicals at contaminated sites. Fungi added to contaminated soil often do not grow well in the presence of the contaminants and native bacteria.

Understanding the makeup of fungal communities that already thrive in contaminated soil may help tailor strategies for degrading contaminants, according to the study.

Duke researchers led by Claudia Gunsch, Ph.D., validated a strategy to detect existing onsite fungal communities that can grow in soil with high PAH levels. Native fungi that thrive with local bacteria and are more tolerant of PAHs may be able to metabolize the chemicals by producing degrading enzymes, which can detoxify PAH-polluted soils when their growth is stimulated.

For more info & a vidoe summary:
https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/srp/researchbriefs/view.cfm?Brief_ID=308

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