11th Hour expert takes action in San Francisco

Pitching In
Fungi Perfecti recently teamed up with Bay Area eco-alliance matteroftrust.org to conduct an experiment in the mycoremediation of oil-contaminated substrates, generated as a byproduct of the cleanup efforts surrounding the recent Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay.

"The roots of mushrooms, called mycelium, produce enzymes that unlock wood fibers, which are composed of strings of carbon-hydrogen molecules in the form of cellulose and lignin. Similarly oil and most petroleum products are held together by these same molecular bonds. The mushroom mycelium breaks these bonds, and then re-constructs the oil into carbohydrates, fungal sugars, that make up the mushroom's physical structures."

–Paul Stamets