Mycelium Running — Stamets's main book: what it is about
An adapted review of Paul Stamets's book Mycelium Running (2005): the four roles of mycelium, key ideas and criticism.
Topic
Mycoremediation
Mycoremediation is a branch of bioremediation that uses fungi and their enzymes to break down pollutants. This page collects materials on the key mechanisms, studies and practical results.
What it is
The term "mycoremediation" describes the use of fungi — most often mycelium — to destroy or bind pollutants: petroleum products, pesticides, heavy metals, some plastics and synthetic dyes. The key idea is that the fungi's extracellular enzymes (laccases, peroxidases, cytochromes P450) can cleave complex organic molecules that are beyond bacteria's reach.
Main directions
- Mycodegradation — breaking down organic pollutants (oil, PAHs, pesticides).
- Mycosorption — binding heavy metals and radionuclides in fungal biomass.
- Mycofiltration — passing contaminated water through mycelial mats.
- Mycostabilization — locking a pollutant into a matrix that prevents its spread.
Key research results
Among the most cited work are Paul Stamets's publications on petroleum degradation and on using mycelium for water filtration in ecosystems after spills. Independent laboratories have confirmed the ability of a number of species to degrade components of crude oil and some organochlorine pesticides.
There are also data showing that certain fungi can accumulate cadmium, lead and arsenic — used in experimental soil-cleanup schemes around former industrial zones.
Related species
Among the wood-decay fungi mentioned in the mycoremediation context and in Stamets's work — first of all agarikon (Laricifomes officinalis), which has a dedicated section in "Mycelium Running". The full species list is in the mushroom catalog.
Materials on this topic
Mycoremediation: how fungi clean soil
An adapted retelling of research on how mycelium breaks down hydrocarbons and pesticides and binds heavy metals in contaminated soils.