Plastic-eating fungi found in Amazon may solve landfill problems
52 replies, posted
[QUOTE]Just when you thought that plastic waste was never going to break down in the environment, along comes Mother Nature to solve the problem.
The Amazon contains more species of flora and fauna than virtually anywhere else on earth.
In a report by [URL="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/"]NZ Herald[/URL] it was stated that a group of students from Yale University found a species which appears to be happy eating plastic in airless landfills.
The group of students are part of Yale's annual [URL="https://webspace.yale.edu/rainforest/Site/Home.html"]Rainforest Expedition and Laboratory.[/URL] Travelling with professor Scott Strobel of the molecular biochemistry lab into the jungles of Ecuador, the mission was to allow "students to experience the scientific inquiry process in a comprehensive and creative way."
Plastic garbage could last indefinitely, meaning that landfills of garbage will continue on possibly for centuries.
But now there may just be the perfect solution.
The group brought back a new fungus with a voracious appetite for polyurethane, which is a common plastic used for many modern purposes, including shoes, garden hoses and other non-degenerating items.
The fungi, Pestalotiopsis microspora, is able to survive on a steady diet of polyurethane alone and, which is even more surprising can do this in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment. Perfect for conditions at the bottom of a landfill.
A student named Pria Anand recorded the remarkable behaviour of the microbe, and another isolated the enzymes that allow the organism to degrade plastic as a food source.
Their findings were published in the journal [URL="http://aem.asm.org/content/77/17/6076.short?rss=1&%3bssource=mfr"]Applied and Environmental Microbiology[/URL] last year with the conclusion that the microbe is "a promising source of biodiversity from which to screen for metabolic properties useful for bioremediation."
There is now hope for a plastic-free environment in the future.[/QUOTE]
Source: [URL]http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/320986[/URL]
This is phenomenal.
That's... pretty amazing. But introducing those fungi to other environments could potentially cause an ecological disaster if not carefully planned. This is not a thing to be taken lightly.
Cool. Can't help but wonder what'll happen to those landfills they covered over and turned into artificial hills, would be rather amusing to see them cave in :v:
On the other side, Imagine if these fungi spread and all your plastic stuff meant to last rots, eaten away by spores..
But what does it degrade into?
They found some plastic eating bacteria sometime ago too
the future seems bright
I could see the advantages of this. But I agree that it would have to be monitored carefully to prevent it from getting loose and causing possible damage, and not just to the wild.
[QUOTE=themooselord;35306779]But what does it degrade into?[/QUOTE]
we're gonna need to find a new fungi that can eat the shit that the plastic eating fungi produces. and then ANOTHER fungi to eat the shit that the shit eating fungi produces from the shit!
Can't wait for this fungi to hijack my electronic devices.
FUCK YEAH FUNGI
I wonder if we can use this to fix that huge amount of trash floating in the Pacific.
this is why we should stop cutting down the amazon.
[QUOTE=themooselord;35306779]But what does it degrade into?[/QUOTE]
I'd assume it becomes dirt. Most living things turn into dirt after they die.
[editline]26th March 2012[/editline]
:O automerge worked and merged my double post!
[QUOTE=themooselord;35306779]But what does it degrade into?[/QUOTE] Oxygen/Nitrogen most likely. It's a win-win
oh god, I would hate standing on one of those :v:
But there is no landfill problem !!!
[QUOTE=themooselord;35306779]But what does it degrade into?[/QUOTE]
Plastics are made out of carbon, if these fungi can break the plastic down ("eat" them), and use the energy they gain to respire and grow, then they'll become part of the natural carbon cycle, i.e carbon in soil>air>plants>animals>soil
Would be cool to scoop out a lot of the shit in the atlantic plastic current cycle thing and use thing fungi to do the thing with the one thing and are
This could potentially fuck up everything if not handled correctly.
With that said, this is still really awesome. Nature is pretty cool.
Send fungi to China, everything collapses.
We need a plastic-eating fungus eating fungus to control the plastic-eating fungus in the event that the plastic-eating fungus is too well adapted at eating plastic and starts to spread uncontrollably.
They should send all the garbage to a controlled environment where they have placed the fungal growth. That way they can reduce the risk of a biological disaster.
[QUOTE=Terminutter;35307352]We need a plastic-eating fungus eating fungus to control the plastic-eating fungus in the event that the plastic-eating fungus is too well adapted at eating plastic and starts to spread uncontrollably.[/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://www.wonderlandblog.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/21/pyrocopy.jpg[/IMG]
Hello
Place them at the bottom of a recycling bin.
Watch as your garbage can is overtaken.
Don't they normally cover landfills with plastic too? :v:
[QUOTE=themooselord;35306779]But what does it degrade into?[/QUOTE]
I don't really know how fungi works, but if we assume they work like plants it should simply release oxygen and carbon dioxide.
edit.
yupi the usual carbon-cycle.
Pretty sure this was posted a couple weeks ago.
But what if the fungi gets loose and eats my girlfriend?
What if it comes into contact with fake boobies?
[QUOTE=Thechuz1337;35307718]What if it comes into contact with fake boobies?[/QUOTE]
Silicone
