Parengyodontium album

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About Parengyodontium album:

It is a marine fungus that can break down plastic polyethene (PE), the most common plastic in the ocean.
It was discovered by Marine microbiologists from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ).
In this bioremediation process, the PE-derived carbon is converted into the fungal biomass of P. album, serving as its energy source.
Initial photodegradation of PE by UV sunlight is crucial for this process. It makes the fungus useful to degrade the floating oceanic plastic litter.
Humans produce over 400 billion kilograms of plastic annually, much of which ends up in the ocean.

Considering fungi as the ‘masters of degradation’ that they utilise a plethora of digestive enzymes for plastic degradation, researchers expect that there could be more plastic-degrading fungi in the deeper parts of the ocean.

Q1. What is the bioremediation process?

Bioremediation is a process that uses microorganisms, fungi, or plants to break down pollutants in soil, water, or air, converting them into non-toxic substances through natural biological processes.

Source: Fungus Breaks Down Plastic Polyethylene in the Ocean