Agricultural waste products can be used as biosorbents for bioremediation once they are low-cost and high-efficient in pollutants removal. Thus, waste products from mushroom farming such as cutting and substrate of Lentinula edodes (popularly known as shiitake) and Agaricus bisporus (also known as champignon) were evaluated as biosorbents for metallic contaminants copper (Cu) and lead (Pb). Shiitake and champignon stalks, and shiitake substrate (medium in which shiitake was cultivated) were dried, grounded, characterized and experimented to remove Cu and Pb from contaminated water. The Sips model was used to establish the adsorption isotherms. Regarding Cu, champignon stalks have the best removal efficiency (43%), followed by substrate and stalks of shiitake (37 and 30%, respectively). Pb removals were similar among three residues (from 72 to 83%), with the champignon stalks standing out. The maximum adsorption capacities (qmax) for Cu in shiitake and champignon stalks were 22.7 and 31.4 mg/g−1, respectively. For Pb, qmax for shiitake and champignon stalks, and shiitake substrate were 130.0, 87.0 and 84.0 mg/g−1, respectively. The surface morphology of the champignon stalks revealed an organized and continuous structure. After an interaction with metals, the stalk of champignon accumulated the metal ions into interstices. Mushroom residues showed a relevant adsorption efficiency, especially for Pb. Mushroom farming waste are a very low-cost and promising alternative for removing toxic heavy metals from aquatic environment.
The present study aimed production and evaluation of ecological bricks composed of spent mushroom substrate, in order to propose an alternative material in the scope of civil construction, which would reduce environmental problems related to its production. For this reason, spent mushroom
substrate, an agro-waste discarded in the environment after mushroom harvest was evaluated to produce ecological bricks. The brick with spent mushroom substrate has a compression capacity of 0.8 MPa, while the standard brick, without spent mushroom substrate, has a resistance of 2.6 MPa, due
to its porosity. The most abundant chemical element found was calcium and toxic elements were not detected. The greatest water absorption occurred in bricks made with spent mushroom substrate. Although water resistance and absorption are below the recommendations of building construction standards,
the spent mushroom substrate bricks could be applied as sealing material and its production process reduced the consumption of raw materials, energy, water and the emission of pollutants.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.