Australian scientists have discovered fungi that destroy plastic in 140 days. A real revolution if we take into account that a plastic pipe usually takes 200 years to decompose :
According to what is learned, the discovery was made possible through the in-depth study of two strains of fungi that destroy polypropylene in 140 days, reports Science Alert. The lids for bottles and food containers are made of polypropylene. Currently, up to a third of all plastic waste in the world consists of it.
Scientists “fed” plastic two types of mushrooms – Aspergillus terreus and Engyodontium album. Between 25% and 27% of the samples were destroyed after 90 days and after 140 days the plastic had completely decomposed. So far, scientists have discovered more than 400 microorganisms capable of naturally breaking down plastic, and fungi are notable for their versatility and ability to destroy various types of synthetic materials. Scientists expect such a method could be scaled up and optimized for industrial-scale work. For comparison, it takes 200 years for a plastic pipe to decompose and 400-500 years for a plastic bottle.
#mushrooms #pollution #plastic #environment #science
