Mycoremediation Potential of Pleurotus florida (Oyster Mushroom) Mycelia to Treat Microplastic Contaminated Paddy Soil

The study investigates the potential of the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus florida) to treat the microplastic-contaminated paddy soil. Three treatment groups, MP800, MP400, and MP200, were set into different concentrations of spawn and substrate to microplastic polluted soils, specifically in ratios of 4:1, 2:1, and 1:1 respectively. A total of seventeen microplastics with different size groups namely large (5 mm to 3 mm), medium (2.99 mm to 1 mm), and small (0.99 to 0.1 mm) were incorporated in each treatment set-up. The specific number of microplastics for each treatment set-up was four large MPs, five medium MPs, and eight small MPs. After the remediation process, the microplastic counts stayed the same, while the sizes increased slightly and decreased in average size. In terms of weight, only MP800 was seen as significant, with a t-value of 7.496, while other concentrations were shown to have slight differences in average weight. In MP800, the large and medium microplastics have noticeably large scars corresponding to the weight change. MP400 showed minimal scarring through large and medium, while MP200 showed in medium size. The visible scarring and tear in the treated microplastics can be correlated with the effects of mushroom enzymes on degrading the plastics. Using different amounts of substrate-to-soil ratio has no significant difference in the results of the effectivity of P. florida in the degradation of microplastics in terms of size and count. However, slight changes in the weight and abundance of holes and cracks in the surface of microplastics were more frequent in MP800 and MP400.