Title

Fungal Bioremediation of Human Solid Waste

Authors

Alexander Mehreteab, Valparaiso UniversityFollow
John Stewart, Valparaiso UniversityFollow
Mark Johnson, Valparaiso UniversityFollow
Micheal Kevin Watters, Valparaiso UniversityFollow

Primary Submission Contact

Alexander Mehreteab

Faculty Sponsor

Micheal Kevin Watters

Faculty Sponsor Email Address

Micheal.Watters@valpo.edu

College

Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

Biology

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Date

Fall 10-30-2015

Abstract

The accumulation of solid human waste is a major problem for long-term space expeditions. Fungal bioremediation of solid waste could provide a solution to this problem. Filamentous fungi can be used to biodegrade human solid waste. We report here the comparison of a variety of wild-type filamentous fungi for their ability to rapidly degrade solid waste. Certain strains of wild-type filamentous fungi, such a Neurospora crassa and Gelanispora cerealis, yielded waste to fungal-mass conversion rates of over 60 percent in seven days. Several strains, includingNeurospora crassa, are edible and average about 50 percent amino acid content by mass, potentially providing a high-protein food generated in-flight to explorers of the final frontier.

Recommended Citation

Mehreteab, Alexander; Stewart, John; Johnson, Mark; and Watters, Micheal Kevin, "Fungal Bioremediation of Human Solid Waste" (2015). Fall Interdisciplinary Research Symposium. 32.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/fires/32

Additional Presentation Information

Wall Poster