Scientists have found fungi that can eat plastics and are doing their research on it.

The fungi studied in the research are common in nature – Aspergillus terreus, a soil mould and Engyodontium album – and have special enzymes that aid the breakdown of plastic. [1]

Both can break down polypropylene, a cheap and flexible plastic used to make packaging, car parts and batteries, and is widely used in other industrial manufacturing. [1]

Figure 1. Amira Farzana Samat and Ali Abbas inspect a petri dish of Engyodontium album attacking polypropylene. Credit: Matthew Ward Agius/Cosmos [1]

Figure 1 shows Amira Farzana Samat and Ali Abbas inspect a petri dish of Engyodontium album attacking polypropylene. To test whether their fungi would chew through plastic, the researchers pre-treated polypropylene samples with heat, ultraviolet light or Fenton’s reagent (a solution of hydrogen peroxide and iron). [1]

Samples were then added to a petri dish with a single culture of either of the two fungi and incubated for 30 and 90-day periods. [1]

Within a month, a fifth of the plastic had been reduced. In three months, more than a quarter had disappeared. [1]

Fungi don’t have mouths to eat plastics. So, it produces unique enzymes which enables them to decompose the polypropylene into simpler molecules that can be taken up by the fungi. These enzymes are being studied as part of the experiment. [1]

Initial indications suggest hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane result from the fungal feasting, as well as microsized pieces of plastic. [1]

References:

1. https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/sustainability/scientists-find-fungi-that-can-eat-plastic/

Cite this article:

Hana M (2023), Fungi That Eat Plastics, AnaTechmaz, pp.427