The document summarizes a student group's midterm presentation on a project to filter contaminated greywater from Dominica using mycoremediation. The group conducted background research on hurricanes in Dominica, mycoremediation and its use in nitrate removal. They designed a system with columns containing sand, sawdust and mushroom mixtures, which were pumped with a nutrient solution. Samples were analyzed to create breakthrough curves and model contaminant movement. The group visited a mushroom farm and improved their lab setup based on initial results. They acknowledged guidance from professors and the farm owner.

1. FILTRATION OF
CONTAMINATED GREYWATER
USING MYCOREMEDIATION
Midterm Presentation
November 1st, 2022
Natalie Whitaker, Marguerite Azzara, Freddy Nocella,
Isaiah Del Campbell, David Traynham, Ally Barrera

2. OUTLINE
• Background
• Literature Review
• Rationale
• Objective
• Venn Diagram
• Lab Procedures
• Tasks

3. BACKGROUND

4. BACKGROUND – HURRICANES IN
DOMINICA
• In 2017, the Island of Dominica was devastated by two category five
hurricanes. The first was hurricane Irma on September 6th followed closely
by Hurricane Maria on September 18th.
• Landslides caused by the hurricanes led to heavy amounts of debris and
contaminates flowing through the land into the ocean causing significant
damage to the coral reefs. The people of the island also contribute to the
issue by dumping grey water directly into the street. This drains into the
ocean without treatment or filtration.

5. LITERATURE REVIEW

6. LITERATURE REVIEW – WHAT IS
MYCOREMEDIATION AND HOW DOES IT
RELATE TO GREYWATER?
• Mycoremediation is the use of fungus to remove contaminates from the
environment. Grey water is household wastewater that originates from
anywhere except a toilet, like shower water. Common constituents that are
tested for in household greywater include nitrate, phosphorus, BOD5 and
suspended solids (Abed 2016).
• Many fungi absorb and retain specific elements, namely heavy metals, in
their biomass through a process called hyperaccumulation. (Cotter 2014)

7. LITERATURE REVIEW - NITRATE
REMOVAL USING MUSHROOMS
• Nitrates and nitrites are a very common pollutant in many
streams and runoffs. Using mushrooms to intercept the pollutants
can mitigate the issue before the pollutants enter oceans or
rivers. Mycelium and mushrooms have a sponge like matrix which
can hold onto pollutants, and they can also uptake them from
soils as they grow. Differing species have different capacities for
the uptake, but all can retain some levels of nitrates and
nitrites (Agoroaei 2008).

8. LITERATURE REVIEW – CORAL BLEACHING
AND HURRICANE MARIA IN DOMINICA
• Coral bleaching is one of the negative consequences caused by excess runoff
and greywater inputs. Coral bleaching is caused by a variety factors, most
notably a warming climate. Despite this, there is emerging research that
contaminated water also plays a role. Excess nitrogen interrupts the symbiosis
between the corals and their algae partners, since cell division of the algae is
limited by nitrogen levels. If too much nitrogen is present, the algae reproduce
too much and is the symbiosis is thrown off (Pogoruetz 2016).

9. RATIONALE

10. RATIONALE
• Coral Reefs in Dominica have faced a large amount of stress from wastewater
runoff and storm runoff due to recent hurricanes in the last few years that have led
to coral bleaching. By filtering this wastewater and stormwater runoff before it
enters the sea, the coral will be exposed to less harmful containments that will help
slow/eliminate coral bleaching.

11. MEDIA FROM ISLAND

12. OBJECTIVE

13. OBJECTIVE
„ The objective of this project is to engineer and design a
biological treatment system to remove contaminates from waste
streams entering the ocean

14. VENN DIAGRAM
Sustainable
Communities
Environmental
Solutions
Resiliency
Our
Project
Socio-
economic
Factors
Science/
Biology
Engineering
Design

15. MUSHROOM MOUNTAIN
SITE VISIT

16. MUSHROOM MOUNTAIN
„ On October 11th, our group attended a tour of Mushroom
Mountain in Easley, SC.
„ We learned about various types of mushrooms as well as how to
grow them and what conditions/food sources would work best as
we grow Tiger Sawgill mycelium for our projects.

17. MUSHROOM MOUNTAIN PICTURES

18. MUSHROOM MOUNTAIN PICTURES

19. LAB PROCEDURE

20. MATERIALS
• Tiger Sawgill mycelium
• Sand
• Hickory sawdust
• Plastic columns
• Peristaltic pump
• Tubing
• Hach RIcDR 900
• Nitrate, Sulfate, Phosphate from RICCA Chemical
• Nitrate, Sulfate, Phosphate test reagents from Hach

21. METHODS
1. A 50/50 mixture of sand and sawdust will be created and used in addition to the mushrooms.
This mixture will then be packed into the columns with the mushrooms in different ratios. Columns
A and B will have no mushrooms, columns C and D will be 90% sand and sawdust and 10%
mushrooms, columns E and F will be 75% sand and sawdust and 25% mushroom and columns G
and H will be 50% sand and sawdust and 50% mushrooms.
2. A nutrient solution will be created with DI water, nitrate standard, phosphate standard, and
sulfate standard. This solution will then be pumped through the column at a rate of 4 mL/min.
Three, 200 mL pour volumes will be run through each column and 5, 40 mL samples will be
collected from each pour volume.
3. After the samples are collected, they will be analyzed using the DR900 for nitrate, phosphate,
and sulfate.

22. RESULTS
1. After samples have been collected and analyzed, breakthrough curves for each
contaminate will be generated. These will be created by plotting the C/C0
(fraction of the initial contaminate concentration) versus the pore volume that has
gone through the column.
2. Comsol will be used to model the nutrient movement through the column.

23. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRESS:
Column after being packed with
sand/sawdust mixture and mycelium.
A small portion of medical gauze
was used as a filter to keep substrate
from exiting the effluent tube

24. EXPERIMENTAL
PROGRESS:
„ The lab setup was effective, and the first
experimental run was a success.
„ What we noticed could be improved
„ The tubes in the peristaltic were
being pulled
„ Reactors will be placed in the back
while the sample collection tubes
will be moved in front of the reactor
vessels.
„ Mild leakage was observed. The
observed amount is thought to be
negligible
„ The DR900 won’t work based that it reads
the samples based on a color spectrum,
due to the fact that our samples have an
amber color we are exploring other ways
to read containment levels. One of the
methods that we think will work best will
be to dilute our samples to make the
color negligible.
• The lab setup proved to be effective, and the
experimental run was a success.
• What we noticed could be improved
• The tubes in the peristaltic were being
pulled
• Reactors will be placed in the back while
the sample collection tubes will be moved
in front of the reactor vessels.
• Mild leakage was observed. The observed
amount is thought to be negligible
• The DR900 won’t work based that it reads the
samples based on a color spectrum, due to the
fact that our samples have an amber color we
are exploring other ways to read containment
levels. One of the methods that we think will
work best will be to dilute our samples.

25. TASKS

26. GANTT CHART

27. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• We would like to thank Dr. Darnault for his guidance in the design
and execution of our lab and Dr. Dodd for his ongoing support
and knowledge.
• Dr. Ogle for providing project scope and equipment.
• Brandon at Mushroom Mountain for sharing his expertise in the
area of mushroom research.

28. THANK YOU