Application of mushroom waste medium from Pleurotus ostreatus for bioremediation of DDT-contaminated soil

The ability of spent mushroom waste (SMW) from Pleurotus ostreatus to degrade 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis (4-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT) was investigated. DDT was degraded by 48% during a 28 d incubation and 5.1% of the DDT was mineralized during a 56 d incubation by SMW from P. ostreatus. The degradation potential in artificial DDT-contaminated soil was also investigated. The SMW from P. ostreatus degraded the DDT by 40% and 80% during a 28 d incubation in sterilized (SL) and un-sterilized (USL) soils, respectively. [U-14C]DDT was mineralized by 5.1% and 8.0% during a 56 d incubation in SL and USL soils, respectively. These results indicate that SMW from P. ostreatus is a medium which can be potentially used for bioremediation in DDT-contaminated environments.