Polypropylene, a hard-to-recycle plastic, has successfully been biodegraded by two strains of fungi in a new experiment led by researchers at the University of Sydney.
Polypropylene has long been recycling’s head scratching riddle. A common plastic used for a wide variety of products from packaging and toys to furnishing and fashion, it accounts for roughly 28% of the world’s plastic waste, but only 1% of it is recycled.
Now, thanks to the efforts of researchers at the University of Sydney, the recalcitrant polymer may have met its match. Published April 14 in npj Materials Degradation, two common strains of fungi were used to successfully biodegrade polypropylene in a laboratory experiment.
Read more in the Phys.org.