Mycoremediation of sterile and contaminated substrates by production of wood

Project co-ordinator: Dr. Hojka Kraigher

Soils with unfavourable physical and chemical properties for the growth of plants are susceptible to water and wind erosion. The damaging consequences of these phenomena are numerous: pollution of water ways, dust accumulation in surrounding areas through wind disposal, vast areas of unproductive, unused soil. Erosion can be only stopped by plant cover. However, plants need soil with an appropriate structure that has to have appropriate physical, chemical and microbiological properties. The natural succession of sterile or contaminated soils is slow, mainly due to lack of carbon compounds that are the main energy source of fertile soils. Natural succession leads to accumulation of carbon compounds. Degraded soil can remain unproductive for decades, a century, or stay bare forever in unfavourable site conditions.

The aim of the project is to create and test a mycoremediation system that will be economically and ecologically more appropriate than the sanation methods used today and to develop technologies for biomass utilisation. The project will be conducted in several steps:

1)Development of substrate preparation technology including utilisation of heavy machinery (co-operation contract with the Biotechnical Faculty) for sterile substrate grinding in the field and preparation of basic organic substrates for inoculation.

2)Selection of fungal species and isolates that will successfully decompose the selected starting material.

3)Development of fungal cultivation, definition of optimal growth conditions which also will be efficient for decomposition.

4)Analysis of physical and chemical soil properties (co-operation with ERICo Velenje).

5)Decomposition test of selected substrates in a medium sized pilot trial (in natural conditions) with (partial) analysis of ground processes (co-operation with ERICo Velenje).

6)Selection of different tree species combinations for planting in pilot trial and analysis of multiple fungal-root symbiosis development.

7)Economic success of proposed mycoremediation techniques compared to classical methods.

8)Development of wood biomass utilisation from fast growing tree and bush species plantations (3-5 year rotation period) appropriate for conditions in Slovenia and economic evaluation of establishment and production of such plantations.

9)Preparation of technical instructions for the use of new technologies on the macro scale in the case of successful sanation and favourable economical effects.