Chinese Scientists Have Found A Plastic-Eating Fungus

Nowadays, humans are producing ever greater amounts of plastic – much of which ends up as garbage. What’s more, because plastic does not break down in the same way as other organic materials, it can persist in the environment over extremely long periods

Nowadays, humans are producing ever greater amounts of plastics– much of which ends up as garbage. What’s more, because plastic does not break down in the same way as other organic materials, it can persist in the environment over extremely long periods of time. Plastics is used in the manufacture of an astonishing variety of materials: from the phone or computer on which you’re reading this article, to the car, bus or bike you use to get around, and even in many clothes, plastics are ubiquitous in the modern world.

Photo: Internet

---

The tremendous increase in the production and use of various man made plastics has become a huge threat to the environment: plastics waste can choke waterways and soils, release harmful chemicals, and even poses a threat to animals which can mistake plastics debris for food. This has a debilitating effect on China’s current environmental situation, given the ongoing problems of industry versus pollution.

Dealing with ongoing environmental issues- with great difficulty

---

Attempts to deal with plastics waste through burying, recycling, incineration or other methods are variously unsustainable, costly and can result in toxic by-products, which are hazardous to human health. Studies have also showed our plastics production to increase dramatically by 2050, where the ratio of plastics to fish in the sea will also even out, and meaning exposure to more toxic waters! And more alarmingly, the plastics share of global oil consumption  is set to increase to a staggering 20%, further decreasing our resources for sustaining human life.

The ever growing plastic problem

---

With plastics being non-biodegradable and persisting for hundreds of years, a lot of trash remains untreated in garbage dumps. Attempts to solve this problem have largely been unsuccessful until recently when Chinese scientists discovered a plastics-eating fungus.

Earlier this week, Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Kunming Institute of Botany have found and confirmed a fungus that could potentially help us to address the problem of non-biodegradable plastics. The fungus is able to break down waste plastics in a matter of weeks that would otherwise persist in the environment for years. Plastics polymers take many years to decompose, as due to their xenobiotic nature – meaning that they did not exist before their synthesis by humans – they are not easily broken down by small creatures that feed on other waste matter. Even when they do somewhat degrade, tiny particles of plastic may persist in the environment, with unknown consequences for human and environmental health.

Plastic Bottles : Ready for the Aspergillus Project

---

Aspergillus tubingensis, our future hero of waste – is typically found in soil, but the study found that it can also thrive on the surface of plastics. It secretes enzymes which break down the bonds between individual molecules and then use its mycelia (thread-like projections) to break them apart. More specifically, the fungus secretes a special protein called ‘enzymes’ onto the surface of the plastics, and these break the chemical bonds between the plastics molecules, or polymers.

Chinese researchers took samples of soil and various pieces of rubbish in hopes of finding an organism that could feed on plastics waste in the same way that other fungi feed on dead plant or animal material. The study also observed that temperature and pH balance of its surroundings, as well as the type of culture medium in place, had an impact on its performance.

Beautiful art forms in science: How the fungus looks when grown in different mediums and under different environmental conditions

---

Researchers are now trying to figure out what conditions would be needed to replicate this process to maximize beneficial results. It’s thought that there are all types of fungi with useful properties that we don’t yet know about — but as deforestation and other human activity continue to destroy habitats, we might never gain access to such species. The researchers actually found aspergillus tubingensis on a rubbish dump in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The rubbish dump in Pakistan containing the key to the plastic problem

---

With the process now called “mycoremediation”—the benefits gained surround practice of using fungi to degrade unwanted substances. The fungus could be used to help address the problem of plastics particles swimming around in our water supply by being put to work in a waste treatment plant, or in soil contaminated with the material. This new trend is becoming more and more apparent as researchers continue to find species that can degrade more varieties of material.

The biodegrading process of fungi

---

Mycologists estimate that only a small proportion of all fungi species have yet been identified, which means that vast numbers of potentially useful species are still to be discovered. However, the destruction of habitats such as natural forests means that many fungi species are likely being lost before they can be identified, let alone tested for possible uses. If this continues, we may come to rely more and more on those species we can find in man-made environments – and more scientists may find themselves doing fieldwork in rubbish dumps than rainforests.

Paving the way to an eco-friendly China!

---

We hope that China will be able to finally tackle the problems surrounding pollution and excessive rubbish disposal. What are your thoughts on this discovery? Do you have any other ideas to maximize rubbish disposal efficiency, recycling and degradation?

     Please leave your comments below!

---