Scientists Discover Plastic-Eating Fungi That Could Help Clean Up World’s Oceans
upstart writes:
Scientists in Germany have identified a type of fungi that is capable of breaking down synthetic plastics, offering a potential new weapon in the global fight against plastic pollution.
A team at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin found that certain microfungi can survive exclusively on plastics, degrading them into simpler forms.
While this is a promising breakthrough, especially when it comes to tackling oceanic plastic pollution, experts cautioned that it is not a silver bullet.
Researchers observed that microfungi in Lake Stechlin in northeastern Germany can thrive on synthetic polymers without any other carbon source.
"The most surprising finding of our work is that our fungi could exclusively grow on some of the synthetic polymers and even form biomass," Hans-Peter Grossart, the lead researcher, told Reuters.
[...] Researchers said the fungi's ability to break down plastic may have evolved in response to the overwhelming presence of the synthetic material in their environment.
These fungi are particularly effective at breaking down polyurethane, a common material used in construction foam, among other products.
[...] While the discovery of plastic-eating fungi is a step forward, it is unlikely to solve the plastic pollution problem on its own.
Experts said the most effective way to tackle plastic pollution is to reduce the amount of material entering the environment.
[...] "Care must be taken with potential solutions of this sort, which could give the impression that we should worry less about plastic pollution because any plastic leaking into the environment will quickly, and ideally safely, degrade. Yet, for the vast majority of plastics, this is not the case," he said.
[...] The global production of plastic has skyrocketed from 1.7 million tonnes in 1950 to 400 million tonnes in 2022, according to Statista. And despite increased efforts, only nine per cent of plastic waste is recycled worldwide, reports the UN.
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