Several tons of waste plastics are generated every day, and according to a study published in ScienceMag, 6.3 billion tons have been recorded since humans began producing plastics.
We know that plastic is a major pollutant, difficult to break down organically, producing toxic fumes when burned, and often entering the food chain due to its longevity.
With the study projected that plastic waste is only going to increase in the future, it is imperative to find a way to dispose of these immortal polymers safely.
Over time, many efforts have been made to avoid the problem. People often resort to burying large amounts of plastic in landfills, burning it with piles of garbage or recycling it. However, there has been no way to dispose of plastic waste in a harmless way.
Now, a study published by Pakistani and Chinese scientists from the World Agroforestry Center and the Kunming Institute of Botany, China, in the journal Environmental Pollution could provide a solution to this persistent problem.
Samples taken from a garbage dump on the outskirts of Islamabad in Pakistan showed that a soil fungus was feeding on plastic, according to the study.
Dr. Sehroon Khan, head of the study titled “Biodegradation of Polyester Polyurethane by Aspergillus tubingensis,” said in a World Agroforestry statement, “We wanted to identify solutions that already existed in nature, but finding microorganisms that can do the job is not easy.”
However, the team was pleasantly surprised with a sample they had taken from the garbage dump in the Pakistani capital.
The fungus Aspergillus tubingensis, which lives in soil, was found to also grow on plastic and secrete an enzyme that breaks down polymer molecules.
The team found that the fungus used the force of its mycelium, the network of root-like filaments grown by fungi, to help separate the polymers. Even plastics that would otherwise persist in the environment for years can be broken down by the fungus in weeks, scientists say.
The fungus was tested with plastic in all three states: solid, liquid and gaseous, and it gave effective results.
However, the performance of the fungus is affected by a number of factors including pH levels, temperature, and the type of growing medium used. The team believes that deciphering these factors could be the key to the large-scale use of the fungus to treat plastic waste.
The study of fungi is still a growing field, and researchers say that many fungi have yet to be discovered. Understanding mushrooms and harnessing them could be an organic way out of many of the world’s problems, the team notes.
“Our team’s next goal is to determine the ideal conditions for fungal growth and plastic degradation, looking at factors such as pH levels, temperature, and growing media,” said Dr. Khan. “This could pave the way for the fungus to be used in waste treatment plants, or even in soils that are already contaminated by plastic waste.”
