Mushrooms tend to have a somewhat gullible reputation. They have their own biological kingdom – mushrooms. For a long time it was believed that they were plants; but they are actually very unique organisms. We will discuss 5 ways mushrooms could help address Earth’s big challenges . The planet requires some of the most ingenious ways to get it back. Mushrooms can be a solution!
Mushrooms and their unknown benefits
It is believed that there are more than 100,000 species of mushrooms. Its ability to inhabit a large number of habitats is amazing. For centuries they have been used to produce yeasts and antibiotics on an industrial scale.
However, mushrooms can have many other uses. Just a review of their abilities to transform matter, as well as the substances they release. These are organisms with many advantages.
FIVE WAYS MUSHROOMS CAN HELP THE PLANET
We will describe a quintet of positive aspects of mushrooms. In some cases, they are benefits that go unnoticed. While they have been exploited before, they have so much more to offer.
1) Biodegradable building material
The growth of mushrooms allows the creation of some compounds (from rice husks or wheat straw) which are used to build. This result is a foam that solidifies with a certain hardness.
With this foam you can make: panels, thermal insulation and tiles. You can even make furniture. It is expected that this material will be quite popular in the coming years.
2) Paper not derived from trees
Mushrooms have chitin, which can also be used to make a type of paper. However, the technique needs to be perfected to achieve this. In this way, the deforestation of many wooded areas would be avoided.
In trees, what abounds is cellulose. However, a lot of registration is required to get the amount of paper the planet consumes.
3) Solution to clean water
Chitosan is obtained from chitin. This material is a non-toxic agent, which allows it to attract heavy metal ions in the water. Therefore, it is a great alternative to clean polluted water.
4) Improves health
Penicillin is obtained from mushrooms. However, it is believed that better antibiotics and substances can be obtained to fight infections. Autoimmune diseases can also be attacked.
5) Eliminate pollutants
Mushrooms have the ability to break down organic molecules. Thus, they can be the alternative to biodegradable petroleum derivatives, which are a major pollution problem on Earth.
Did you suspect that mushrooms have so many uses? They are very particular living organisms , also not very abundant. Perhaps, for this very reason they are not used to the maximum.
