Recent Presentations:

Mycofacilitation: Increasing Ecosystem Health with Fungi - A powerpoint (8.9 MB PDF file) presentation by David Demerest

Mushrooms of the Northeast: ID, collection, health benefits, & sustainable cultivation
A powerpoint (671 KB PDF file) presentation by David Demerest

Culinary & Medicinal Mushroom Cultivation For Family Farms
A powerpoint (3.8 MB PDF file) presentation by David Demerest

 

Mycoremediation & Mycofacilitation Consulting

As you can see from the extensive fungi bioremediation reseach publicly available, lab research has already proven the ability of many different species of fungi to successfully break down many different toxic persistent organic polutants (POPs) into non-toxic (or less toxic) substances. Fungi, in scientific research projects, have also demonstrated impressive ability to work synergistically with plants in various phytoremediation and mycorrhizomal remediation roles.

The biggest challenge to the entire field of bioremediation, and particularly the subsection focused on mycoremediation, mycorhizomal remediation, and mycofacilitation, has always been and will continue to be: How can we successfully apply lab scale research to address real world problems?

Searching to honestly answer that question while helping our clients solve their environmental problems in the most ecologically sound manner possible is our primary focus.

We start out a potential mycoremediation project with a complementary consultation and request our prospective client consider the project in four distinct phases. Phase I after a complementary initial consultation is simply an indepth literature review based on preliminarly site analysis of the polutants involved and setting specific remediation goals. Phase II is implementation of small trials of the most promising ecological remediation options known to us that can be easilty scaled up under the potential project's site conditions. This phase is cruitial to ensure we have accounted for as many potential variables as possible prior to having our client invest in the full scale remediation project (phase III). Obviously, a full scale remediation project includes standard monitoring and QA/QC to ensure we meet our remediation goals but we strongly encourage our clients to complete a full project assessment (phase IV) after successful mycoremediation project completion. This provides additional value to our client in the form of information that can be used for marketing and various potential income streams.

Since a mycofaciltation project is simply striving to create the conditions for known native fungi to flourish and consequently improve ecosystem health it will generally be less intensive and therefore less costly overall.

In short, we enjoy working with clients to make the world a better place whether it is simply mycofacilitation of optimal orchard health by applying ramial woodchips at the base of apple trees or the hyperaccumulation of toxic metals using mycorhizomal remediation in old apple orchard soils contaminated by the historic spraying of lead (or calcium) arsenate. After a complementary consultation, our hourly rate will be negotiated based on our existing level of expertise with similar bioremediation projects, plus transportation/equipement/material costs as applicable.