Mycoremediation Workshop

From our organizers:

Fungi are the grand decomposers and molecular disassemblers of nature. They recycle organic matter and liberate nutrients from inorganic mineral forms, building the soils that make life possible on land. The metabolic acids and enzymes that Fungi exude to make this soil chemistry possible can be utilized to degrade many of the contaminants produced as a consequence of the anthropocene.

Mycoremediation is the application of the impressive metabolic capacity of Fungi to close loops of contamination and remediate waste streams from the agriculture, textile, livestock, petrochemical, and plastic industries that have come to toxify much of the soil and water of our planet.

At this workshop we will overview the theory of Fungal bioremediation, highlight case studies, describe the chemistry of enzymatic combustion (rot), and discuss cutting edge Mycoremediation applications and techniques.

This will be accompanied by a practical hands-on component consisting of laboratory techniques for adapting Fungi to recognize contaminants as novel substrates for remediation, Fungal exudate harvesting, qualitative enzyme assays, and quantitative assays of contaminants used to measure progress of remediation.