MycoCube - bioremediation of PFAS

Purpose and goal

The purpose of the proposal is to investigate the potential of fungi to break down PFAS - a group of chemicals that have become a global problem due to their reluctance to natural breakdown and they therefore become permanent in the environment. The technology is based on an existing biological treatment plant called MycoCube, which the company MycoMine developed for breaking down organic pollutants. The goal of this proposal is to expand the treatment plant´s capacity and to also cover pfas. The project will involve a laborator study and a pilot at a polluted site.

Expected results and effects

The expected results are to identify fungi capable of complete or partial degradation of pfas and that we succeed in incorporating them and their properties into our MycoCube treatment plant. If we succeed in scaling up this process to meet the needs of contaminated land, water and industries, it will not only be a unique solution on a global market but a solution that can be applied to a wide range of customers from municipality and regions via contaminated land for industries and treatment plants. The goal is for this technology to become established on the market.

Planned approach and implementation

The study is divided into different parts, of which the first is a laboratory-based study to identify and investigate the fungi that are capable of degrading pfas. Next, the existing treatment plant MycoCube will be modified with the new fungal cultures and a pilot plant will be constructed and installed in the field, on a contaminated site. There, the capacity and operation must be investigated, optimized and evaluated so that we will ultimately have a system that is as ready for marketing as possible.