Mushroom and biocompounds as ecofriendly biossorbents: a bioremedial action

Abstract

The contamination in the aquatic environment by metals and pharmaceutical products (especially those capable of disrupting the endocrine system, such as female hormones) has attracted the attention of researchers. The extent of contamination is mainly the toxicity of the compounds, even in low concentrations, the persistence in the environment, and the inefficiency of the conventional system of water and sewage treatment. Thus, the development of ecofriendly products that could be used in biosorption of metals and hormones is relevant. Edible mushrooms have interesting constituents, which are able to act as sorbents and chelators, such as chitin and chitosan, and phenolic compounds. Moreover, byproducts developed from microorganisms have been widely applied in environmental contamination by improving the solubilization of pollutants from soil and water contaminated, which in turn improves the bioavailability for treatment. Thus, the objectives are i) to produce a particulate product from Lentinula edodes and Agaricus bisporus mushrooms (and from the substrate waste of these mushrooms); ii) to develop a byproduct produced by microorganisms (one biossurfactant from bacterial will be immobilized in bacterial cellulose); iii) and to apply these products as biosorbents for metals (copper and lead) and medications (17²-estradiol and paracetamol) in water. (AU)