Bioremediation of Polyurethane in Soil using P. Microspora
Authors:
- Students:
- Caroline Escobedo
- Gabriel Escobedo
- Yaretzi Gurrero
- Delaney Hopkins
- Tenley Linstad
- Natalie Kitner
- Yoel Paredes
- Teachers:
- Sandy Scott
- Mentors:
- Benjamin Diroll (Argonne National Laboratory, Center for Nanoscale Materials)
Center for Nanoscale Materials
It can take hundreds to thousands of years for plastics to break down in the environment. As they break down, they form tiny pieces of plastics called microplastics. Microplastics are formed from many different types of plastic materials, including textile fibers, cleaning and personal care products, and many types of packaging. As plastics are ubiquitous in consumer products, microplastics are a very common and prevalent problem now, and will be long into the future. Microplastics end up in water and soil, where they leach chemicals and contaminants into these natural resources. Researching how these microplastics interact with soil can lead to ways to treat this contamination. In a lab setting, the fungus Pestalotiopsis microspora has shown promise in breaking down plastic, but its ability in-situ is untested. This experiment seeks to see if P. microspora can break down microplastics within recreated natural conditions to assess their potential as a form of bioremediation.