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Recently-Discovered ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Can Eat Plastic
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Author:  ProfessorF [ Fri Jun 01, 2012 8:34 am ]
Post subject:  Recently-Discovered ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Can Eat Plastic

Quote:
Yale researchers have discovered a type of mushroom that can eat plastic.

During an expedition to the jungles of Ecuador, Professor Scott Strobel and his team of researchers have found a new fungus that eats polyurethane (plastic).

The fungi, called “Pestalotiopsis microspore”, is able to survive on eating plastic alone—while without the need for air or light.

Students Jonathan Russell and Pria Anand have written in the journal ‘Applied and Environmental Microbiology’, that the enzyme the fungus uses to decompose plastic has been isolated.

Scientists hope to use the extracted chemical to solve the plastic trash and help bioremediation projects.

If successful, this could change the way we get rid of trash.


http://designtaxi.com/news/352659/Recently-Discovered-Magic-Mushrooms-Can-Eat-Plastic/

This is awesome.

Author:  JJW009 [ Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Recently-Discovered ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Can Eat Plastic

Pure polyurethane is easy to reprocess anyway. For example, you can crack it into a pure safe gas to power a recycling plant. The problem is all the toxic crap they mix in with it to make it a viable product. Once you remove the polymer by whatever method, that toxic crap is highly concentrated. Those magic mushrooms are gonna get pretty whacked on actual landfill waste.

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