In the depths of the Amazon rainforest, scientists have discovered an unlikely hero in the fight against plastic pollution: Pestalotiopsis microspora, a remarkable fungus that can digest and break down one of the world’s toughest plastics — polyurethane. What makes this fungus extraordinary is not just its appetite for plastic, but its ability to thrive even in oxygen-deprived environments, like deep landfills where most plastic waste ends up.
In a groundbreaking study by a Yale University research team, Pestalotiopsis microspora was isolated from plant tissues in Ecuador’s Amazon. This endophytic fungus proved capable of using polyurethane (PUR) as its sole source of carbon and energy.
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