A Fungus That Can “Eat” Plastic Has Been Discovered In Pakistan
Friday, December 7, 2018 IST
This Mushroom Could Be The Solution To The World’s Plastic Problem
A fungus that can “eat” plastic has been discovered in Pakistan. This discovery could tackle the growing plastic problem the planet is currently facing, by cutting the lifespan of plastic from up to 1000 years, to just weeks.
One of the largest environmental problems we are currently facing is plastic. Taken from sas.org pollution facts and figures:
In 1950, the world’s population of 2.5 billion produced 1.5 million tons of plastic; in 2016, a global population of more than 7 billion people produced over 320 million tons of plastic. This is set to double by 2034.
Every day approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans.
There may now be around 5.25 trillion macro and microplastic pieces floating in the open ocean. Weighing up to 269,000 tonnes.
It takes anywhere from a decade to 1000 years for plastics to properly degrade, so you can see how this is a problem that needs to be given attention before it is too late. Cue Aspergillus tubingensis, a fungus that has been shown in a recent study to break down chemical bonds in plastic. In lab experiments, researchers found this unique fungus has the ability to feed off of plastic. The experiments were published by Environmental Pollution, via ScienceDirect. They found that when the fungus is introduced to polyester polyurethane plastic, the mycelium caused degradation and scarring.
The Pakistan study has shown that fungi could be “developed into one of the tools desperately needed to address the growing environmental problem of plastic waste” Fungi also has the ability to feed on pollutants such as oil, toxic chemicals, and even radioactive waste
Related Topics
Trending News & Articles
ALMATY: Hour upon hour, day upon day, Omir Bekali and other detainees in far western China's new indoctrination camps had to disavow the...
Recently posted . 211K views . 1 min read
If you have payed attention to the belly buttons of people on the beach or the members of your family, you have probably noticed that they have different shapes and...
Recently posted . 10K views . 2 min read
The Langya henipavirus has a place with a similar group of infections, including Nipah, which is known to kill up to 3/4 of people in extreme cases.
Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
Queen's death: The eldest of her four children, Charles, Prince of Wales, who at 73 was the oldest heir apparent in British history, became king immediately...
Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
More in Global
Carbon is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, with so many compounds it forms and all life on Earth being carbon-based it is the King of Elements. Carbon th...
Recently posted. 696 views . 2 min read
The message on the tea stall reads “Aisi chai ki dushman ko bhi dost banaye” written in Urdu
Recently posted. 874 views . 0 min read
A new study published in Science Advances suggests that the solar system is probably a lot wetter than had previously been thought.
Recently posted. 988 views . 1 min read
Recently posted . 966 views
Recently posted . 946 views
Recently posted . 2K views
Recently posted . 2K views
Recently posted . 3K views . 99 min read
Recently posted . 1K views . 49 min read
In monsoons, there’s overcast skies, a drizzle or a downpour. They evoke all kinds of emotions in our lives. People celebrate monsoon with favourite songs and...
Recently posted. 748 views . 2 min read
The American President has confused everybody with his State of the Union speech
Recently posted. 784 views . 0 min read