Bellingham, WSDOT oil-contaminated soil (Battelle trial)

MycoremediationField pilot

WSDOT and the Battelle Marine Sciences Laboratory (Thomas and colleagues, report of 1998) compared three approaches outdoors for four months: mycoremediation, bioremediation and enhanced bacterial remediation. This is the trial made famous by Paul Stamets as the diesel pile covered in oyster mushrooms; the page consulted does not name the fungal species.

Outcome Plants grew on the pile treated with fungi and not on the others. But according to the University of Washington summary that cites the original report, the data on hydrocarbon breakdown were inconclusive, because of the heterogeneity of the soil and of the contaminants. The removal percentages in circulation therefore lack a sound statistical basis. The original report (WA-RD 464.1) could not be reached.

• Petroleum hydrocarbons

• Mycoremediation: case studies (citing Thomas et al. 1998, WSDOT report WA-RD 464.1), University of Washington, depts.washington.edu, 2010