Abstract
Heavy metals have economic importance in industrial applications and are
presently becoming a significant environmental concern. Components of heavy metals
like As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Se, and Hg are considered systemic toxicants and induce various
organ damage even at lower levels of exposure. Natural sources include metallurgy of
metal-bearing rocks and volcanic eruptions, whereas mining and different industrial
and agricultural operations are human sources to release them into the environment. In
recent times, remediation of toxic metal pollution has been a major environmental and
technological challenge all over the world. Several physiochemical strategies have been
used in the past to remove heavy metals from the environment. But, it has adverse
repercussions, including power dissipation, incompetence for inherently dangerous
ions, pernicious by-products, and high cost; hence, alternative strategies are necessary.
Biosorption and its operational processes have been very effective in the removal of
hazardous heavy metals and display features like eco-friendly, high efficiency, and
economic viability, and can be used repeatedly, showing selective metal binding,
effective desorption, and recycling of adsorbents. Different biological agents like algae,
bacteria, fungi, and yeast can be employed to carry out bioremediation, especially
mycoremediation. The potential of fungal biomass (Mushrooms) as a biosorbent is well
accepted for the removal of toxic heavy metals and radionuclides from the environment
because of its excellent metal-binding characteristics and tolerance towards metals and
unfavourable environmental conditions like diverse pH and temperature conditions.
Mushrooms, macro-fungi, have fruiting bodies that grow out of a mass of mycelium
and can build up heavy metals in high concentrations in their bodies above maximum
permissible concentrations and may also act as an effective biosorption tool. High accumulation potential and shorter life span are some of the advantages of using
mushrooms as biosorbents and exhibiting excellent mycoremediation potential.