ABSTRACT
FUNGI IN THE BIOREMEDIATION OF DEGRADED AREAS. The increase in industrial ac tivities has intensified environmental pollution, promoting the improper disposal of household and industrial waste, especially hazardous waste, resulting in contamination of soil, air, surface water and groundwater resources. One of the technologies used in the recovery of these degraded areas is bioremediation, which uses microorganisms as recovery agents. Therefore, this review aims to address the main aspects of bioremediation by fungi – mycoremediation of contaminated soil based on various previously published studies available in major databases such as SciELO, LILACS, HighWire, PubMed. This biotechnology has been used for years in other countries, and in some cases has lower cost and higher efficiency in removal of contaminants than the physical and chemical techniques that are currently used on a commercial scale in the treatment of various wastes and the remediation of degraded areas. It is therefore necessary to develop further studies to understand the mechanisms of bioremediation mediated by microorganisms, as a biological tool in fighting pollution.
KEY WORDS
Pollutants; contaminated areas; fungus; soils; bioremediation