A group of Biochemistry students from Yale University (United States) have discovereda fungus, called Pestalotiopsis microspora , that can break down plastic. The finding may be a “breakthrough” for the recycling industry, experts say.
The discovery occurred when students Pria Anand, Jeffrey Huang and Jonathan Russell conducted a study in the Ecuadorian Amazon collecting endophyte organisms – fungi or bacteria that live at least part of their life in symbiosis in plant tissues without causing disease – and they found the species. After the find, published inApplied and Environmental Microbiology, Anand decided to investigate whether the endophytes he had collected registered biological activity in the presence of plastic, while Huang investigated the ability of organisms to break chemical bonds. In this way they achievedidentify the most efficient enzymes in the decomposition of polyurethane, a plastic widely used in the production ofsynthetic fibers, parts for electronic devices and foams for thermal insulation.
Experts note that various species of fungi can at least partially break down plastic, but “Pestalotiopsisis the only one that can do it without the presence of oxygen “, something they consider” essential “forfuture landfill applications.
Yale students have also pointed out that, with the help of this fungus,objects such as plastic bags, “which take years to decompose,” may have “a shorter life”. However, they have also warned that transforming a laboratory finding into an industrial-scale tool will be a long process.
