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Scientists Find Plastic-Eating Fungus Feasting on Great Pacific Garbage Patch (futurism.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/16488358

Scientists Find Plastic-Eating Fungus Feasting on Great Pacific Garbage Patch

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Well, given what we know about most commercial plastics, which are all derived from oil/complex hydrocarbons, the consumed plastic could be broken down into condensed carbon? Or would it be carbon gases? I'm speculating based on just what I know about plastics, what they are and how they're made.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

So, a byproduct of this process is, potentially, greenhouse gases? Yay.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

And some toxic compounds.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

I've heard living organisms tend to output carbondioxide