Plastic is an element which is not degraded easily. Even if it is treated, the small remains of plastic can stay in the soil and restrict inland waterways. The deadly story does not end here, but the plastic can easily kill animals who consume food from garbage that contains small particles of plastic in it. A group of scientists from world agroforestry centre and Kunming institute might have made a breakthrough study as they found a fungi which can allegedly eat plastic.

Most of the ‘Plastic material’ does not break down on its own and creates an environmental hazard for all the living beings. India is not untouched by the problem which is taking an ugly shape with every passing day. There can be a good news for those who really care for the environment. Scientists from the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the Kunming Institute of Botany in China have recently identified a fungus which could help deal with our waste problem by using enzymes to rapidly break down plastic materials.

However, the authors of a new study titled “Biodegradation of Polyester Polyurethane by Aspergillus tubingensis” believe they may have found an unexpected solution to our growing plastic problem in the form of a humble soil fungus. In the new paper, published in the June 2017 issue of Environmental Pollution, they argue that we urgently need to find new, safer and more effective ways to degrade waste plastic. “We wanted to identify solutions which already existed in nature, but finding microorganisms which can do the job isn’t easy”, explained Sehroon Khan of the World Agroforestry Centre-Kunming Institute of Biology, and lead author of the study. “We decided to take samples from a rubbish dump in Islamabad, Pakistan, to see if anything was feeding on the plastic in the same way that other organisms feed on dead plant or animal matter”.

Aspergillus tubingensis (AT) is a fungus which ordinarily lives in the soil. In laboratory trials, the researchers found that it also grows on the surface of plastics. It secretes enzymes onto the surface of the plastic, and these break the chemical bonds between the plastic molecules or polymers. Using advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, the team found that the fungus also uses the physical strength of its mycelia – the network of root-like filaments grown by fungi – to help break apart the polymers. Even plastics which would otherwise persist in the environment for years can be broken down by AT in a matter of weeks, the scientists say. Though the performance of this fungus is affected by various environmental factors, the researches of this report are still very hopeful to get a long time and possibly the only solution to this menace.

(With Inputs from World Agroforestry Centre)