Scientists Discovered a Fungus in the Amazon Rainforest That Eats Plastic — And It Might Help Save the Planet

The decomposition of plastic can be anywhere from 20 to 500 years. However, even after that long, it may never fully be gone, and instead just breaks down into smaller pieces, called microplastics. These tiny particles will persist in the environment, polluting our waters, lands, and harming different wildlife.

Different solutions have been presented, such as the use of biodegradable plastics, which could be broken down by microorganisms, but it was proven that most plastics are still hard to decompose, even if it is “environmentally friendly”. That is why the discovery of a plastic-eating fungus in the Amazon Rainforest by YALE researchers sparked hope to solve the global plastic pollution.

How the Fungus Works

Fungus is a group of eukaryotic organisms that are distinct from animals and plants, and belong in their own category. It includes yeast, mushrooms, and molds. They also play a crucial role in our environment as decomposers and nutrient cyclers.

The organisms that the YALE researchers have found belong in this family of fungi, named Pestalotiopsis microspora. This organism secretes enzymes that attack plastic polymer chains, breaking them into smaller pieces, until it is absorbable by the fungus.

During the lab tests, scientists were able to observe the fungus eating the plastics in a matter of days, in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Which simply means that even without oxygen, they can degrade the plastic components in a relatively short amount of time, instead of the usual several centuries.

Read more: Longdom.org

A Fungal Hero Among Plastivores

Plastic-Eating Fungi and Other Wonders Discovered by Yale Undergraduates

Fungi like P. microspora are part of a broader class known as plastivores, which refers to the group of organisms that eat plastic as food. The unique feature in the Amazonian fungus is its ability to degrade plastic even in isolated, oxygen-poor zones, unlike most microorganisms, such as bacteria.

Lab-grown on pure polyurethane, the fungus formed clear zones free of plastic, indicating just how strong its capabilities are in eating away at plastics. Since it could also do it with or without oxygen, its applications are useful in both indoor and outdoor recycling and waste management plants.

Beyond the Amazon

Following this discovery, scientists have now been aware that fungi could eat plastic in a much more effective way than most other plastivores, which led to the discovery of a few other plastic-eating fungi around the world.

Examples include Parengyodontium album, a marine fungus that degrades UV-exposed polyethylene about 0.05% per day, and Aspergillus tubingensis, shown to break down polyurethane in as little as weeks, with industrial-scale potential.

These findings tell us that fungi might be our best weapon against plastic pollution from around the world. Unlike other methods, letting fungi eat away at plastics does not create even more problems, like the creation of microplastics that will further the harmful effects on the environment.

Read more: Phys.org

From Lab to Cleanup

The next step for the scientific community was to find out ways to scale up the fungal plastic degradation. They have worked on optimizing various conditions to know which environment will help the fungus eat plastic more efficiently.

Modifying temperature, pH, and nutrient levels, as well as enhancing the fungi genetically, are all part of the experiments being done. Soon, if it successfully scales up, we might see some fungi pods or landfill treatment systems that heavily rely on fungi eating plastics inside bioreactors.

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Author's Final Thoughts

The Amazonian fungus that was discovered to be capable of eating plastic might be our answer to one of our biggest environmental problems, a solution given to us by no other than nature itself. This might be a system that we can scale up and rely on to revolutionize how we manage plastic pollution globally.

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