Almost a third of the world's plastic waste is polypropylene, a hardy plastic used to make bottle caps and food containers that can take hundreds of years to degrade.
On a basic chemical level, plastics are a string of carbon atoms adorned with different side chains that give each type of plastic its specific properties. Recycling plastics, in theory, should be as easy asBut there are so many different types of plastics that when all sloshed together and mixed with other materials as waste, they are practically impossible to separate and recycle.
While the researchers don't yet know how exactly the fungi digested the plastic – that could be the focus of future research – the thinking is that fungi degrade materials like plastic into simpler molecules that they can then absorb or excrete. As you can see in the image below, the usually smooth plastic became riddled with pockmarks as the fungi did their dirty work.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
Scientists Discover Leak in the Bottom of the OceanIt may be more likely than ever that the next mega-earthquake is going to happen in the PNW — and a hole in the bottom of the sea may provide clues.
Les mer »
Scientists discover new type of uranium isotope with a half-life of 40 minutesScientists have discovered and synthesized a new isotope of highly radioactive uranium-241 with 149 neutrons, which may last only 40 minutes.
Les mer »
Scientists Discover Mysterious Warm Liquid Spewing From Oregon SeafloorThe field of plate tectonics is relatively new, and researchers are still uncovering the intricacies of geologic faults that cause earthquakes. One such fault, the Cascadia Subduction Zone, is a potentially catastrophic offshore fault located in the Pacific Northwest that has yet to reveal all its s
Les mer »
Scientists Discover New Property of Immune Cells – “Like Guided Missiles”Infants are given protection against bacteria that cause diseases. Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) have uncovered that certain immune cells possess a homing property that guides them to the skin of the newborn to provide protecti
Les mer »
Trump allies take fight to Bragg's backyard with hearing on NYC crimeFormer President Trump's congressional allies have taken the fight to Manhattan, where they will attack DA Bragg as weak on crime — all part of the Republican strategy to undermine the historic prosecution of the former president.
Les mer »
Visionary YouTuber Built Unground Apocalyptic Bunker in His Backyard 5 Years AgoIt is the ultimate man cave and survival cell rolled up into one, completely hidden under his backyard.
Les mer »