Determinación de la capacidad de remoción de cadmio y plomo por hongos de la podredumbre blanca Pleurotus ostreatus en suelos de la Zona el Timbre Cantón Quinindé.

Abstract

The effectiveness of the mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus has been shown as a remover of heavy metal concentrations in soils of the Timbre area from Quinindé canton, it was carried out in the Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory at ESPOCH. The applied experimental methodology begins with the mushroom growth in the substrates of cocoa husk and barley chaff. The test soil obtained did not receive any sterilization treatment and later they were arranged in six cells of agricultural soil where the proper treatments were carried out with the respective substrate and mushroom used simultaneously. The research work lasted approximately three months taking into account the proper humidity, pH and temperature controls after one day. The results obtained indicated that the mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus with the cocoa substrate has the capacity to remove up to 90.9% of cadmium and 55 % lead. While with the barley substrate, it removes 89.20 % cadmium and 44.5 % lead. Therefore, the mushroom growth is based especially on the substrate used; in this case, there is no significant difference between the two substrates. These percentages of decrease of their initial concentration were validated with the statistical analysis to student for two equal samples. In conclusion, the satisfactory results were in the removal of cadmium, rather than lead, with the cocoa substrate achieving that the measured initial values return to their normal values of the permitted limits of heavy metals, according to the current Environmental Legislation in Ecuador. This is the mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus an efficient microorganism capable of removing high concentrations of cadmium and lead in soils. It is recommended to perform a proper homogenization to the test soil.