this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2025
38 points (97.5% liked)
Fungi: mycelia, mushrooms & more
231 readers
2 users here now
This is a community for information and discussions on
- Mycorrhizal networks
- Mycoremediation for land restoration, water mycofiltration etc
- Biodegradable mycelium-based materials (building blocks, textiles, alternatives to plastic, to name a few)
- Fungal technology & biotechnology
- Medicinal uses
And so much more.
Some related local communities
Credits
- Icon: Studio Klarenbeek & Dros
- Banner: Pauline Moss
founded 7 months ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
What byproducts are there? How do we prevent it spreading to plastic we don’t want decomposing?
I'm not aware of any. In relation to plastic degradation, typically the fungi break down the chemical bonds of the molecules with the help of enzymes.
I remember one research from europe (I can't find it for some reason) that they were collecting the plastic first and then in a controlled environment they introduced the plastic-eating fungus. It's not that the scientists just threw the fungi in the ocean.
These findings always make me feel optimistic. Imagine if one day each municipality had a huge bin full of plastic eating fungus that all local plastics could just be thrown into. Or imagine if there was some way to give these fungi agency to move around and gorge on litter lol - makes me think of this http://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/09/04/science/fungus-robot-mushroom-biohybrid