Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Vegetated Treatment Systems for Removing Contaminants Associated with Surface Water Toxicity in Agriculture and Urban Runoff
Published on: May 15, 2017
Removal of emerging contaminants using spent mushroom compost
Bea-Ven Chang1, Shao-Ning Fan1, Yao-Chou Tsai1
1Department of Microbiology, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Abstract:
Acetaminophen and sulfonamides are emerging contaminants. Conventional wastewater treatment systems fail to degrade these compounds properly. Mycoremediation, is a form of novel bioremediation that uses extracellular enzymes of white-rot fungi to degrade pollutants in the environment. In this study, spent mushroom compost (SMC), which contains fungal extracellular enzymes, was tested for acetaminophen and sulfonamides removal. Among the SMCs of nine mushrooms tested in batch experiments, the SMC of Pleurotus eryngii exhibited the highest removal rate for acetaminophen and sulfonamides. Several fungal extracellular enzymes that might be involved in removal of acetaminophen and sulfonamides were identified by metaproteomic analysis. The bacterial classes, Betaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, were revealed by metagenomic analysis and may be assisting with acetaminophen and sulfonamide removal, respectively, in the SMC of Pleurotus eryngii. Bioreactor experiments were used to simulate the capability of Pleurotus eryngii SMC for the removal of acetaminophen and sulfonamides from wastewater. The results of this study provide a feasible solution for acetaminophen and sulfonamide removal from wastewater using the SMC of Pleurotus eryngii.
Related Concept Videos
Emerging Adulthood
Contaminants and Errors
Another key consideration is determining the appropriate number of samples required to...
Introduction Cardiac Emergencies
Applications of GIS: Disaster Management and Emergency Response
Extracorporeal Removal of Drugs: Hemoperfusion and Hemofiltration
Extracorporeal Removal of Drugs: Peritoneal Dialysis and Hemodialysis

