accessibility, and high metal concentrations (Aly et al. 2018). This new technology
held the ability for eliminating contaminants of heavy metals from the polluted
environment by channeling them to the fruit bodies for removal (Okhuoya 2011;
Deshmukh et al. 2016). The key to mycoremediation is determining the right fungi
species to target a specific pollutant through either chelation, adsorption, accumulation, or transformation (Thenmozhi et al. 2013; Hamba and Tamiru 2016). Fungi are
the dominating living cell in soil, and they have been broadly used for the bioremediation of metal contamination in such environments (Hoshino and Morimoto 2008;
Harms et al. 2011).
Fungi have an advantage over bacteria for the bioremediation of polluted environments due to the abovementioned reasons such as the unique nature of its
biomass, hyphal network, and longer lifecycle. Moreover, fungi that resist metal
compete with native bacteria in hostile conditions (Sun et al. 2012). Broader
metabolic competence of fungi offers their various applications in the elimination
of different pollutants. Polysaccharides and proteins containing carboxyl, hydroxyl,
sulfate, phosphate, and amino groups for binding metal ions are the main components of the cell walls of fungi (Maheswari and Murugesan 2009). These functional
groups are responsible for providing the ligand atoms to make complexes with metal
ions for attracting and retaining metals in the biomass. The selection of metaltolerant fungi from a polluted environment screens them for their metal removal
potential and further bioaugmentation of promising soil fungi native to the metalcontaminated soil may be a successful strategy for the appropriate site-specific
bioremediation. Several researchers have also suggested that studies on the wildtype fungal strains are required that can tolerate high metal concentration, can
remove metal from the surrounding matrix, and thus can lead to an efficient
bioremediation process (Gentry et al. 2004; Mukherjee et al. 2010).
3 Factors Influencing Biosorption of Heavy Metals Using
Fungi
The biosorption process depends on different factors that influence biosorption
mechanisms. pH, initial concentration of heavy metal, the dosage of biomass,
temperature, and contact time are the main factors for the elimination of metal ions
(Veglio and Beolchini 1997).
3.1 The Influence of pH
pH is one of the major factors that affect heavy metal uptake from the environment.
Most of the heavy metal removal and uptake by fungus species was favorable at
acidic pH shown below in Table 17.1. Due to lower pH levels, heavy metals tend to
17 Mycoremediation: Fungal-Based Technology for Biosorption of Heavy Metals. . .
357
held the ability for eliminating contaminants of heavy metals from the polluted
environment by channeling them to the fruit bodies for removal (Okhuoya 2011;
Deshmukh et al. 2016). The key to mycoremediation is determining the right fungi
species to target a specific pollutant through either chelation, adsorption, accumulation, or transformation (Thenmozhi et al. 2013; Hamba and Tamiru 2016). Fungi are
the dominating living cell in soil, and they have been broadly used for the bioremediation of metal contamination in such environments (Hoshino and Morimoto 2008;
Harms et al. 2011).
Fungi have an advantage over bacteria for the bioremediation of polluted environments due to the abovementioned reasons such as the unique nature of its
biomass, hyphal network, and longer lifecycle. Moreover, fungi that resist metal
compete with native bacteria in hostile conditions (Sun et al. 2012). Broader
metabolic competence of fungi offers their various applications in the elimination
of different pollutants. Polysaccharides and proteins containing carboxyl, hydroxyl,
sulfate, phosphate, and amino groups for binding metal ions are the main components of the cell walls of fungi (Maheswari and Murugesan 2009). These functional
groups are responsible for providing the ligand atoms to make complexes with metal
ions for attracting and retaining metals in the biomass. The selection of metaltolerant fungi from a polluted environment screens them for their metal removal
potential and further bioaugmentation of promising soil fungi native to the metalcontaminated soil may be a successful strategy for the appropriate site-specific
bioremediation. Several researchers have also suggested that studies on the wildtype fungal strains are required that can tolerate high metal concentration, can
remove metal from the surrounding matrix, and thus can lead to an efficient
bioremediation process (Gentry et al. 2004; Mukherjee et al. 2010).
3 Factors Influencing Biosorption of Heavy Metals Using
Fungi
The biosorption process depends on different factors that influence biosorption
mechanisms. pH, initial concentration of heavy metal, the dosage of biomass,
temperature, and contact time are the main factors for the elimination of metal ions
(Veglio and Beolchini 1997).
3.1 The Influence of pH
pH is one of the major factors that affect heavy metal uptake from the environment.
Most of the heavy metal removal and uptake by fungus species was favorable at
acidic pH shown below in Table 17.1. Due to lower pH levels, heavy metals tend to
17 Mycoremediation: Fungal-Based Technology for Biosorption of Heavy Metals. . .
357