September 11, 2019

Plastic-Eating Mushrooms

Listen Later

2 minutes

Plastic waste has become one of the most pressing environmental issues

in the world. Whether it is about

drinking straws, grocery bags, or six-pack rings, getting rid of plastic items

in the waste stream is a major focus of attention for more and more people.

A really promising way to deal with all the plastic ending up in

landfills has grown out of research that was being conducted in the Amazon rain

forest in 2012. Back then, a group of

students from Yale University discovered a fungus that eats only

polyurethane. It is a mushroom known as

Pestalotiopsis microspore and it not only can survive exclusively on the

plastic, but it can do it in anaerobic (that is, oxygen-free)

environments. Thus, these plastic-eating

mushrooms could potentially thrive at the bottom of landfills.

More recently, other studies have identified additional mushroom

species that can eat plastic. Some of

them are common, such as the oyster mushroom, which itself is edible. In 2018, the first ever State of the World’s

Fungi symposium took place in London.

The event focused on multiple applications for mushrooms, including

their use as building materials, their ability to remove pollutants from soil,

and their capacity to enable the conversion of waste into biofuels.

Under controlled conditions, it takes just a few weeks for plastic-eating

mushrooms to start breaking down plastics.

After a few months, all that is left are puffy white mushrooms which,

even if they are not used for anything themselves, can be composted and turned

into soil.

So far, there has been relatively little exploitation of mushrooms for

improving the environment, but they may well be a big help in dealing with the

growing problem of plastic waste.

**********

Web Links

Scientists discovered a mushroom that eats plastic, and believe it could clean our landfills

Photo, posted August 12, 2014, courtesy of Tim Sheerman-Chase via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

...more

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Earth Wise

By Randy Simon

4.7

1515 ratings

September 11, 2019

Plastic-Eating Mushrooms

Listen Later

2 minutes

Plastic waste has become one of the most pressing environmental issues

in the world. Whether it is about

drinking straws, grocery bags, or six-pack rings, getting rid of plastic items

in the waste stream is a major focus of attention for more and more people.

A really promising way to deal with all the plastic ending up in

landfills has grown out of research that was being conducted in the Amazon rain

forest in 2012. Back then, a group of

students from Yale University discovered a fungus that eats only

polyurethane. It is a mushroom known as

Pestalotiopsis microspore and it not only can survive exclusively on the

plastic, but it can do it in anaerobic (that is, oxygen-free)

environments. Thus, these plastic-eating

mushrooms could potentially thrive at the bottom of landfills.

More recently, other studies have identified additional mushroom

species that can eat plastic. Some of

them are common, such as the oyster mushroom, which itself is edible. In 2018, the first ever State of the World’s

Fungi symposium took place in London.

The event focused on multiple applications for mushrooms, including

their use as building materials, their ability to remove pollutants from soil,

and their capacity to enable the conversion of waste into biofuels.

Under controlled conditions, it takes just a few weeks for plastic-eating

mushrooms to start breaking down plastics.

After a few months, all that is left are puffy white mushrooms which,

even if they are not used for anything themselves, can be composted and turned

into soil.

So far, there has been relatively little exploitation of mushrooms for

improving the environment, but they may well be a big help in dealing with the

growing problem of plastic waste.

**********

Web Links

Scientists discovered a mushroom that eats plastic, and believe it could clean our landfills

Photo, posted August 12, 2014, courtesy of Tim Sheerman-Chase via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

...more