Mushrooms Can Used to Fight Pollution

Mushrooms can be an unexpected ally in the effort to counter the harmful pollution. Unexpected discovery of a study showing that fungi can transform lead into the most stable form of the mineral.

The results showed that the interaction between fungi and lead may occur in nature where only two are found together. It also suggests the fungus may be used as a useful treatment strategy for lead contaminated area.

"Lead is usually considered as a substance that is stable enough. The idea that fungi and other microbes can attack and cause deformation of the lead into the most stable mineral is quite unexpected," said Geoffrey Gadd of the University of Dundee as reported Medicalnewstoday.

Lead is a structural material and a considerable industrial importance. Popular use of lead in everything from factories to the purposes for paint, lead contamination is a serious problem worldwide.

In soil contaminated with lead, has strived to reduce pollution through the addition of a source of phosphorus. Phosphorus is an element that allows the incorporation of which leads to a stable mineral pyromorphite. But these changes have been regarded as a purely

chemical and physical phenomenon, not a biological phenomenon.

Pyromorphite is a type of mineral consisting of lead chlorophosphate. The type usually have bright colors of green, yellow, or brown, and the resinous fragrance.

In the new study, the researchers carefully observing the interaction between fungi and lead. In these studies lead incubated with and without fungi. In the lead were incubated with mushrooms, began to show evidence of the formation of pyromorphite after 1 month. Minerals containing lead stable continues to increase with time.

Minerals found in lead incubated without fungi less stable as a result of normal corrosion.

"It seems the ability of fungi to produce organic acids or other substances may be very important to release the mineral form of lead-free, which can then be reacted with a source of phosphorus to form pyromorphite," said Gadd.

While not all species of fungi were able to convert lead into the most stable mineral, but it appears that quite a number of species of fungi are able to carry out the process. Not entirely clear why some fungi can perform the process. But it might help the survival of the fungus in the soil is contaminated.

Results of the study is another example of the function of the fungus, and microbes in general. Fungi and microbes that are generally beneficial to the environment. Even metals can be disrupted by colonization of microbes, "said Gadd.

The results of these studies have been published online in Current Biology, a Cell Press Publication.