Remains of mushroom cultivation may be suitable for water purification

ANP Productions | Source: ANP

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A remnant of mushroom cultivation could possibly be used to purify water from harmful substances, Utrecht researchers expect. This is the mixture of fungal threads and horse manure (substrate) that remains after the mushrooms have been harvested.

“The substrate reduces, among other things, the concentrations of pesticides and medicines in polluted water,” say scientists Brigit van Brenk, Han Wösten and colleagues in the journal Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology and also on the site of the University of Utrecht.

Mushrooms grow on composted, sterilized horse manure. Grain grains with mold are placed in it, which then creates a network of fungal threads. The mushrooms then emerge from this, the university explains. Ultimately, the substrate remains, which, according to the university, mainly goes to Germany to serve as fertilizer there.

Further research

However, the researchers now tried the stuff as a water purifier. They added the anti-mosquito ointment DEET, caffeine and the anti-epilepsy drug carbamazepine and substrate to the water. After a few days it turned out that 10 to even 90 percent of the various substances had disappeared.

“It is a fairly simple, cheap and sustainable way to purify water. But there is still a way to go,” predicts Van Brenk.

Results

“Van Brenk also showed with other experiments that mushroom substrate is capable of purifying water from dyes and PFAS. These results will be published later this year,” the university said.