Good news for recycling: University of Manchester study composts polyurethane plastics
Last updated 3/2/2010 11:11:57 AM
Recycling News
You could soon be able to compost your old sofa as part of your recycling efforts. Polyurethane plastics used to make everything from furniture fillings to shoe soles may be degraded in compost heaps.
Dr Geoff Robson and his team at the University of Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences have found that certain fungi can degrade the plastic in soil.
Furthermore the rate of degradation increases when the volume of these fungi is increased or nutrients are added to the soil to boost the fungi's activity. They are now carrying out further studies to make sure the degradation of polyurethanes does not adversely affect the composting process or its products.
"This is a significant finding," Dr Robson said. "Polyurethanes are used to make many, many products and can take up a large amount of volume in landfill sites, which are rapidly running out of space. This makes it a major environmental pollutant. This study opens the possibility that fungi could be used to degrade these materials instead of dumping them into landfill sites."
The team placed polyurethane pieces in soil containing fungi and bacteria. As the polyurethane, which is made from petroleum, degraded, the number of fungi increased as they digested the byproducts, showing that it was indeed the fungi that were breaking down the plastic. The team is now investigating how best to apply their findings to polyurethane waste management.
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