Mushroom filters combat farm pollution

The fungal biofilters absorb excess nutrients from agricultural run-off

Spotted: Nitrogen plays an essential role in food production, present in abundance in the synthetic fertilisers used to support crop growth. However, it’s estimated that due to inefficient fertiliser use, up to 80 per cent of nitrogen leaks into the environment, polluting the air, surrounding soil, and local bodies of freshwater. Now, MycoFarming has an idea to help clean water of this pollutant in a sustainable way.

Reversing eutrophication, where excess nitrogen has triggered cyanobacterial bloom and depleted oxygen supplies in the water, is currently a difficult and energy-intensive task for water treatment plants. Instead, MycoFarming is calling on the help of mushrooms, creating fungal mycelium biofilters that will absorb excess nutrients from agricultural run-off before they can pollute and damage larger water ecosystems.

Rather than using heavy chemicals like many water treatment technologies, MycoFarming relies on the natural filtration ability of fungi, which readily absorb and degrade things like nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. The team adapts its filters depending on the location, ensuring that the mycelium is compatible with that local ecosystem. According to the company, its biofilters can cut nutrient-related emissions by 60 to 90 per cent, leaving behind harmless, fertile biomass.

Earlier this year, MycoFarming was accepted into the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT’s) Food Seedbed Incubator programme.

Written By: Matilda Cox