A newly discovered marine fungus offers a glimmer of hope in the battle against plastic waste, which exceeds 880 billion pounds annually, much of which ends up in oceans and threatens marine ecosystems. As plastic production is expected to triple by 2060, the race to discover organisms that can break down plastic becomes increasingly critical.
A team from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research found a sea fungus, Parengyodontium album, that breaks down polyethylene, a common plastic in ocean litter. The fungus, one of only four known species of plastic-eating marine fungi, lives among marine litter and breaks down plastic at a rate of about 0.05% per day.
Sunlight plays a crucial role in this process, as the fungus only breaks down plastic that has been exposed to the sun’s UV rays. While the fungus converts the plastic into carbon dioxide, the amount emitted is minimal, similar to the levels humans emit when breathing.
Many plastics that sink into deeper ocean layers without sun exposure remain intact. However, lead researcher Annika Vaksmaa believes there may be other fungi in these deeper reaches that could degrade plastic.
The quest to find nature’s solution to plastic pollution is not new. In 2001, Japanese scientists discovered a bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis, that breaks down plastic.
In 2011, a fungus, Pestalotiopsis microspora, was found in the Amazon rainforest that can break down plastic polymers. Pestalotiopsis microspora can survive in both environments with oxygen and without oxygen, making it an ideal candidate for tackling plastic pollution from trash heaps to underwater waste.
Researchers continue to search for solutions to the plastic pollution crisis, hoping to find more nature-based solutions like the Parengyodontium album fungus.
