Mycoremediation: utilization of fungi for reclamation of heavy metals at their optimum remediation conditions

Contamination of environment by heavy metals has become a major concern worldwide. Role of conventional methods in remediating heavy metals have become ineffective and costly. Conventional methods can remove only up to certain minimum level. Therefore, the bioremediation is cost effective, efficient and environmentally friendly alternative of removing heavy metals. The ubiquitous presence of fungi has allowed acclimation to most types of wastes. During the last decade, fungi have been used in the treatment of a wide variety of wastes, wastewaters and the role of fungi in the bioremediation of various hazardous and toxic compounds in soils and sediments has been established. The properties of fungi to absorb and accumulate heavy metals give potential for cheap alternative method of heavy metal removal from soil and wastewater. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to discuss about the heavy metal removal from contaminated natural resources and aqueous solutions by fungi of different groups as Zygomycotina, Ascomycotina, Basidiomycotina and Deuteromycotina with their optimum conditions (pH, temperature, contact time, physical and chemical pretreatments etc.). In this review we found, species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Saccharomyces, Mucor, Rhizopus and Pleurotus represent best remediation agents for different heavy metals.