How to save $20 million with a mushroom
If you're Chinese, and somebody shows you an oyster mushroom, your first thought is dinner — and indeed, they're delicious! But Chiu Siu-wai, associate professor at Chinese University, had a more creative use for the humble fungus. When mushrooms are harvested, it turns out that up to 80% of the nutrients are left behind in the soil. In her own words:
We found that this waste and the leftover enzymes could be used to break down toxins. You only need one portion to every 99 portions of contaminated soil. It can be used on dry land as well as on the mud at the bottom of the ocean. You can put the waste on top of the contaminated soil or mix it in if you want to speed things up. The left-over, dried-up spores work their way down and eat the garbage, while the enzymes break down the contaminants.
As the South China Morning Post reports, “The process takes about one-third the time of existing techniques and is so cheap that Professor Chiu completed the research and testing without government or private grants.”
The general process of using plants and fungi to remove toxins from soil is called "phytoremediation". The same principle was applied using fast-growing (and thirsty) poplars to clean up US "Superfund" sites — some of the most toxic sites in the United States.
- South China Morning Post: Miracle mushroom clears toxins dirt cheap $160m for Kai Tak cleanup? Fungus could do it for $500,000
- Using Phytoremediation to Clean Up Sites
Posted by Administrator on Friday, January 01, 2010
