Mushrooms in the Bio-Remediation of Wastes from Soil

Abstract

Mushrooms have played a great role in the field of bioremediation. Mushrooms are saprophyte highly specialized group of macro-fungi with a distinctive fruiting body, and have a unique capacity for degradation of certain types of organic pollutants like lignocellulotic wastes and bio-sorption of heavy metals. The degradation of ligenocellulotic wastes are initiated by the release of extracellular enzymes to the environment. The lignocellulaytic enzyme starts to degrade and breakdown the complex lignocellulotic wastes in to smaller and readily available molecules for their utilization. The present reviewed paper describes briefly the concerns regarding the extracellular mushroom enzymes, with having many potential applications in bioremediation of agricultural wastes, heavy metals and toxic organic compounds. Therefore, research is needed to develop understanding of integrated mushroom cultivation that optimizes mushroom utilization in the field of environmental remediation, while supporting other ecosystem services.