Mycofiltration of Heavy Metals (Pb, Cd, Hg) from Aqueous Solution by Living Biomass of Two Mushrooms Pleurotus ostreatus and Agaricus bisporus as Biosorbents

Industrial effluents have caused water bodies to suffer from accumulation of heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg). This study focuses on determination of the potential use of mycofiltration in the removal of heavy metals, the effect of contact time, and the efficiency of mushroom species in mycofiltration from an artificial wet pond. In search of effective biosorbents, mycofilters were developed by adding spawns of P. ostreatus and A. bisporus, which were left for incubation and then installed in synthetic ponds for a certain period. Thereafter, mushrooms were harvested, post treated and their biosorption rate was analyzed through atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Significant differences were evaluated in the biosorption rate of mycofilters of P. ostreatus and A. bisporus. A dependent relationship was also established between biosorption and the temperature, namely, an increase in biosorption with an increase in temperature. The comparison of all results for the two species revealed that P. ostreatus showed superiority in the biosorption capacity for Pb 9–189 mg g^–1 and Cd 1–21.4 mg g^–1 over A. bisporus. However, A. bisporus has shown significant results in the case of Hg 0.6–10 mg g^–1 absorption. Overall, in this study, P. ostreatus demonstrated the highest range in biosorption efficiency for metals Pb 99–100% and Cd 97–100% as compared to A. bisporus. At the same time, A. bisporus showed a slightly higher level of removal efficiency in the case of Hg 85–100%. Considering these findings, industrialists may use this cheap and ecofriendly treatment technology for the uptake of heavy metals.