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AlterNet reports
Thanks to a group of [students from Yale's Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry] who discovered a new type of fungus in the Ecuadorian rainforest, a semi-solution may soon be available to help speed up the decomposition process of plastics sitting in landfills.
[...]The fungus is the first one that is known to survive on polyurethane alone, and it can do so in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment, suggesting it could be used at the bottom of landfills.
[...]A large reason plastics like polyurethane take so long to break down is that microorganisms don't typically recognize it as food, therefore it can take centuries for man-made polymers to break down into microscopic granules. The discovery of Pestalotiopsis microspora may change all that.
The students of Yale isolated the enzyme that enables the fungus to break down plastic then observed its potential.
"The broad distribution of activity observed and the unprecedented case of anaerobic growth using [polyester polyurethane] as the sole carbon source suggest that endophytes are a promising source of biodiversity from which to screen for metabolic properties useful for bioremediation," they wrote in a report published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology
(Score: 5, Interesting) by captain normal on Monday June 22 2015, @04:27PM
First, I've never seen an "airless" landfill.
Second, if, as article says, this fungus has a "...voracious appetite for a global waste problem: polyurethane." then not only will our waste plastics be toast, what happens when the spores get loose in our environment. Bye bye cable insulation, as well as fiber optics. For the last 50 years or so all our drain waste piping and (in recent years) water supply piping as well as natural gas piping depend on polyurethane. All our cars and trucks depend on stuff made using polyurethane. Even your computer will disintegrate.
The Musk/Trump interview appears to have been hacked, but not a DDOS hack...more like A Distributed Denial of Reality.
(Score: 3, Funny) by snick on Monday June 22 2015, @04:47PM
I was getting pretty bummed by your analysis. At least you ended with the upside
(Score: 2, Troll) by VLM on Monday June 22 2015, @05:14PM
The list above of applications is just a made up list of plastics in general. Here's a real list for this specific polymer:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_polyurethane_applications [wikipedia.org]
I'm sure you can F with the composition of the plastic to kill mold/bacteria in many applications. The hard part is going to be stuff people touch, like spandex (god save the yoga pants) or furniture cushions. Most of the rest of the applications are vaguely insulation/foam based and can use a different formulation, or rely on lack of moisture or fungus killing additives.
I wonder if its a general isocyanate problem or the fungus specifically only eats polyurethane. Usually the weirder a bug is, the more specific it is, so isocyanates in general are probably pretty safe (well, safe from this bug LOL)
So release of this fungus into the wild will be survivable.
There's a reason why we produce an octo-bazzilion metric tons of this plastic yet this fungus hasn't spread past one landfill and it's not just luck.
I would imagine the Chinese will start shipping us urethane based plastic junk that is pre-infected with the fungus to increase sales. Imagine furniture with cushions that dissolve in one year, requiring annual re-purchase, they're counting the money already.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @05:16PM
it can do so in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment, suggesting it could be used at the bottom of landfills.
First, I've never seen an "airless" landfill.
What you means is that you've never seen the bottom of a landfill
Don't confuse anerobic with airless.
The summary even spelled it out for you: oxygen-free.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @07:59PM
I have been chastised here for linking to non-techie sites.
I like the way those generally break things down into bite-sized bits so an everyman can consume them.
As I was preparing the summary, I was thinking that the thing you pointed to might be a little too kindergarten for this crowd.
After this subthread, I'm now less inclined to second-guess myself.
-- gewg_
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Monday June 22 2015, @07:47PM
I think you are confusing polyurethane (PUR) with polyvinylchloride (PVC). Most wire, cable, and fiber optic cable use PVC for both insulation and jackets. Water pipes are either PVC or PEX (crosslinked polyethylene). Semi Rigid gas pipe, the kind used in streets in lieu of steel or other metals, is polyethylene.
Polyurethane is used in paints, wheel cushions, tubing for pneumatic systems and foam for insulation, forms, and molds. Cut open a car seat, that foam is polyurethane. Same with mattresses and furniture. I think the foam use case is the biggest problem. It is not very good for wire insulation and is only really used for cable jackets for harsh use. Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_polyurethane_applications [wikipedia.org]
From the sound of the article, it appears they have extracted the enzyme that breaks PUR down. So if it is the enzyme which will be used to break down PUR, fine. But spreading around a self replicating fungus which destroys plastics is a really dumb idea.