Use of basidiomycetes to improve remediation of oil-ontaminated soil
Ability of definite strains of basidiomycetes to use oil components as the source of carbon in their life-ustaining activity is shown. It is shown that the fungi strains selected in the screening actively form colonies on oil-olluted substrates. Ability to utilize hydrocarbons is shown in a model experiment for the following strains: basidiomycete belonging to the genus <i>Trametes </i>utilizes up to 39% with respect to control level of oil content in the soil and basidiomycete genus <i>Fomitopsis </i>utilizes up to 22%, respectively. Ability of basidiomycetes strains to maintain high oil oxidizing activity in the presence of natural soil microflora confirms their potential to be used in techniques of recultivation of oil-olluted soil both as a self-onsistent method of bioremediation and in combination of other techniques of oil- polluted soil cleaning.