Over the past few years, Pria Anand, a student at Yale University had been researching to see if there was something in nature could decompose plastics. She experimented with many different specimen but graduated before her work was completed. Jonathan Russell took over after she graduated and he found exactly what Pria had been looking for. The students at Yale had discovered that Pestalotiopsis microspora fungus could break down polyurethane which is found in many insulation, synthetic fibers, and plastic for electronics and sealants. In 10 days the fungus had decomposed about a quart sized amount of plastic. Students are now working to see if they can find something that will decompose styrofoam. They say this isn't the cure to pollution but it is definitely a big step and I agree. This discovery could drastically make a difference in our landfills which are currently filled with plastic and other waste. The students can begin to test on larger amounts of plastic and see how long it takes. With plastic bags taking 10-20 years to decompose and bottles that last forever this could change a lot of things. I believe that people should be open to this idea and see where it takes us. At this point, we are up for any help we can get. Our planet is filling up with waste faster than we can get rid of it.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/08/04/fungus.eats.plastic/index.html?iref=allsearch
I believe that this is a very environmentally friendly way of disposing waste. It will definitely help reduce the amount of plastic in landfills. But I feel that some people might take advantage if this new finding and won't recycle as much anymore. They'll just say "hey, our plastic will just decompose because of this new fungus so we don't have to recycle anymore". I would hope that doesn't happen. However, it is a very useful discovery.
ReplyDeleteThis discovery, in conjunction with recycling will greatly reduce the Earth's landfills and help reverse man's ecological footprint therefore helping to preserve our home. I hope that this environmentally friendly research continues to expand!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely respect that we’re moving toward a greener future with this discovery! The amount of waste we’re leaving on our planet is accelerating rapidly and we’ll need any solution that could possibly slow the amount of waste that won’t degenerate. Another good thing is that it doesn’t seem to cost much at all and is another way to decrease the acceleration with recycling. If places like schools and environmentalist groups could get a hold of this, a “green fever” could swarm across the nation leading us to a healthier and brighter future for all of us living on Earth!
ReplyDeleteI agree that this seems like a very good idea. It's like composting for plastics. As long as this bacteria does no harm to the rest of the environment, it could be greatly advantageous to experiment more with this idea. I think it's ideas like this that grip hold of students like us and ignite ideas in our heads that could also help save the Earth from the ecological disaster in which we currently find ourselves.
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