The textile industry remains one of the most polluting, the impact of the textile industry on the environment is responsible for 17 to 20% of water pollution in the world.
Researchers from the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered that a fungus is capable of degrading polyurethane, a plastic material which until now is non-degradable and widely used in the field of textiles. The researchers discovered that the enzymes secreted by this mycelium are capable of breaking the bonds between the polymers that make up the polyurethane, in different culture media. Other factors can influence the performance such as the pH of the medium or the temperature. Until then non-biodegradable, this discovery could pave the way for better control of water and soil pollution by polyurethane.
I really liked this post because the fungus destroying the plastic of the textile is a natural product. However, I wonder how many fungus of this kind would be needed to destroy the quantity of plastic products which continues to increase each year because of our consumer society?