Due to the growing environmental challenges posed by potentially toxic substances, it has become crucial to develop effective methods for their removal or conversion into less harmful forms. One promising strategy in this regard is mycoremediation – the process of utilising fungi to cleanse contaminated environments. This approach is considered environmentally friendly as it leverages natural biological mechanisms that occur spontaneously in nature. The implementation of advanced technological methods, particularly through appropriate substrate pretreatment, can significantly enhance the efficacy of mycoremediation. This article focuses specifically on the mycoremediation of lignocellulosic materials, which can themselves contribute to pollution through the presence of toxic metals in wood preservatives and the chemicals found in adhesives and coatings. One innovative technology for optimizing mycoremediation involves the pretreatment of lignocellulosic substrates using atmospheric non-thermal plasma (ANTP) and plasma-activated water (PAW). These techniques not only improve conditions for fungal growth and enzymatic activity during pollutant degradation, but also serve as effective sterilization methods for the substrates. In this paper, we systematically summarize the impacts of ANTP and PAW on lignocellulosic substrates in the context of their pretreatment for mycoremediation.
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