Pleurotus Ostreatus Mycoremediation of Legacy Mine Water Drainage

Mycoremediation utilizes fungus as a tool to remove heavy metals and other contaminants from water through biosorption and multiple other mechanisms.Team Ohio has researched and implemented the fungal strain of Pleurotus ostreatus, commonly known as pearl oyster mushrooms, in the design of a mycoremediation process to remove copper, zinc, and manganese. The location of focus for this process is Sunday Creek, located in Appalachian Ohio. This creek is a tributary of the Hocking River with sections determined by the Ohio EPA in 1997 to have been “irretrievably damaged to the extent that no appreciable aquatic life can be supported” due to acid mine drainage [1].Following data collection from early trials, a bench-scale and a full-scale model of the system was developed. Full-scale design begins by pumping water out of Sunday Creek at the set rate of 10 gpm, where it will be diverted to a set of 4 columns in parallel, similar to those used in the bench scale.