page_title: Bioremediation of radioactive waste
section_title: Fungal bioremediation
hierarchical_section_title: Bioremediation of radioactive waste / Fungal bioremediation
caption_attribution_description: English: Reactor 4 in Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. Photo is taken in August 2013.Suomi: Nelosreaktori Chernobylin ydinvoimala-alueella Ukrainassa. Kuva otettu elokuussa 2013. This photograph was taken with an Olympus E-PL1
context_page_description: Bioremediation of radioactive waste or bioremediation of radionuclides is an application of bioremediation based on the use of biological agents bacteria, plants and fungi to catalyze chemical reactions that allow the decontamination of sites affected by radionuclides. These radioactive particles are by-products generated as a result of activities related to nuclear energy and constitute a pollution and a radiotoxicity problem due to its unstable nature of ionizing radiation emissions.
  The techniques of bioremediation of environmental areas as soil, water and sediments contaminated by radionuclides are diverse and currently being set up as an ecological and economic alternative to traditional procedures. Physico-chemical conventional strategies are based on the extraction of waste by excavating and drilling, with a subsequent long-range transport for their final confinement. These works and transport have often unacceptable estimated costs of operation that could exceed a trillion dollars in the US and 50 million pounds in the UK.
context_section_description: Several fungi species have radioactive resistance values equal to or greater than more radioresistant bacteria; they perform mycoremediation processes. It was reported that some fungi had the ability of growing into, feeding, generating spores and decomposing pieces of graphite from destroyed reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station, which is contaminated with high concentrations of cesium, plutonium and cobalt radionuclides. They were called radiotrophic fungi.
  Since then, it has been shown that some species of Penicillium, Cladosporium, Paecilomyces and Xerocomus are able to use ionizing radiation as energy through the electronic properties of melanins. In their feeding they bioaccumulate radioisotopes, creating problems on concrete walls of deep geological repositories. Other fungi like oyster mushrooms can bioremediate plutonium-239 and americium-241.
caption: Radiotrophic fungi growth has been described in reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station.
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