Mushrooms save the planet

Engineers in Geneva are turning to a natural solution to decontaminate soil at a construction site near the Eaux-Vives train station.

Work is underway on new apartment buildings and a leisure centre on which used to be an industrial site. 

The land is full of hydrocarbons – and the best way to clear that is using mushrooms. The fungi naturally absorb the contaminants.  

10,000 m2 of land needs to be cleared. Only mushrooms native to the region are being used. 

Mushroom spores are injected into large piles of soil and left for around 4 months. After treating, the level of poison is massively reduced – or even eliminated. 

The same process is now being planned for the soil around the old public transport depot in Jonction before it’s turned into a public park.

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