Researchers discover Aspergillus tubingensis breaking down polyester polyurethane in laboratory
Scientists have discovered a fungus, Aspergillus tubingensis, that can actually eat away at polyester polyurethane (PU), a plastic found in things like fake leather and insulation that usually degrades slowly under ordinary environmental conditions.
The team saw the fungus growing on PU and causing cracks and erosion, then used scanning electron microscopy and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy to provide evidence it was breaking down the plastic with esterase and lipase activity.
Researchers explore enzymes for plastic pollution
This is the first time anyone's seen this fungus tackle PU.
While tests were done in labs (not out in nature yet), researchers are now exploring how these fungal enzymes could help fight plastic pollution for real, maybe even making a dent in all that non-biodegradable waste we keep hearing about.