Filtration of Lead and Arsenic Through Pleurotus Ostreatus’s Mycelium
Disciplines
Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Toxic levels of contamination of heavy metals such as lead and arsenic have been known to have detrimental effects on many living organisms. For example, lead exposure is caused by corrosion in pipes, which in turn can lead to kidney impairment or anemia. Arsenic is typically found in natural rock formations and when humans are exposed to arsenic, it can harm the lymphatic system and cause cancer. The purpose of this experiment was to analyze the concentration of lead and arsenic in a solution after filtering them through lyophilized and non-lyophilized mycelia of Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushrooms). Lyophilization is the process of freeze drying an organism to remove any water content within it. A block of oyster mushrooms were colonized in a combination of 250 grams oak wood pellets and 250 grams soybean hulls pellets. 16 petri dishes (1.5 inch in diameter) of mycelium were made from the block and were left to colonize for 3 weeks. Once fully colonized, they were separated into two groups: 8 of the 16 petri dishes were lyophilized for 4 days, while the rest were left non-lyophilized. Meanwhile, an initial concentration of 5 ppm, 10 ppm, 25 ppm, and 50 ppm (parts per million) of both heavy metals were filtered through the mycelia over the course of 1-3 hours. Due to lyophilized mycelium’s abundant vacant binding sites for sequestering heavy metal ions on their cell surfaces, we hypothesize that the lyophilized group would filter more of the heavy metals. While this held true for the lead solution, our findings diverged with the arsenic solution, which indicates a nuanced relationship between mycelium properties and metal filtration efficacy.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM - Molecular and Cellular Biology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Christopher Cornelison
Filtration of Lead and Arsenic Through Pleurotus Ostreatus’s Mycelium
Toxic levels of contamination of heavy metals such as lead and arsenic have been known to have detrimental effects on many living organisms. For example, lead exposure is caused by corrosion in pipes, which in turn can lead to kidney impairment or anemia. Arsenic is typically found in natural rock formations and when humans are exposed to arsenic, it can harm the lymphatic system and cause cancer. The purpose of this experiment was to analyze the concentration of lead and arsenic in a solution after filtering them through lyophilized and non-lyophilized mycelia of Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushrooms). Lyophilization is the process of freeze drying an organism to remove any water content within it. A block of oyster mushrooms were colonized in a combination of 250 grams oak wood pellets and 250 grams soybean hulls pellets. 16 petri dishes (1.5 inch in diameter) of mycelium were made from the block and were left to colonize for 3 weeks. Once fully colonized, they were separated into two groups: 8 of the 16 petri dishes were lyophilized for 4 days, while the rest were left non-lyophilized. Meanwhile, an initial concentration of 5 ppm, 10 ppm, 25 ppm, and 50 ppm (parts per million) of both heavy metals were filtered through the mycelia over the course of 1-3 hours. Due to lyophilized mycelium’s abundant vacant binding sites for sequestering heavy metal ions on their cell surfaces, we hypothesize that the lyophilized group would filter more of the heavy metals. While this held true for the lead solution, our findings diverged with the arsenic solution, which indicates a nuanced relationship between mycelium properties and metal filtration efficacy.