Fungi manage to degrade polypropylene, a resistant plastic

2023-04-19 12:15:27

He polypropylenea difficult-to-recycle plastic, has been successfully biodegraded by two strains of fungi in a new experiment led by University of Sydney researchers.

Polypropylene has long been the head-scratching riddle of recycling

Polypropylene has long been the head-scratching puzzle of recycling. A common plastic used for a wide variety of products, from packaging and toys to furniture and fashion, accounts for about 28% of the world’s plastic waste, yet only 1% is recycled.

Published in npj Materials Degradation ⁽¹⁾in the new study two common strains of fungi were used to successfully biodegrade polypropylene in a laboratory experiment.

Normally found in soil and plants, Aspergillus terreus y Engyodontium album they were able to break down the polypropylene after pre-treating it with UV light or heat, which reduced the plastic by 21% over 30 days of incubation and 25-27% over 90 days.

“Polypropylene is a common plastic used to make a wide variety of everyday products, including food containers, hangers and cling film, but it only has a one percent recycling rate, which means it’s overrepresented in waste. plastics and pollution globally,” study lead author and PhD student in the Faculty of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, said in a statement. Amira Farzana Samat.

The researchers hope that their method may one day reduce the vast amount of plastic polluting the environment and lead to a greater understanding of how plastic pollution could biodegrade naturally under certain conditions.

References

• ⁽¹⁾ Biodeterioration of pre-treated polypropylene by Aspergillus terreus and Engyodontium album. npj Materials Degradation.