Pleurotus ostreatus and a novel fungal composite: Development and bioremediation of plastic wastes

The enormous amount of plastic waste produced by mankind pollutes the environment, harms human health, and, associated with organic wastes such as malt bagasse and pine sawdust, causes the filling of sanitary landfills. The present study proposed the development of fungal composites using organic waste and non-recyclable plastics as substrates. A strain of P. ostreatus was isolated and identified, and the growth of this fungus was evaluated in these wastes. Composites were produced using a mixture design, and their compressive strength was assessed. During the growth of the microorganism, ligninolytic enzymes were released, causing molecular and morphological changes to the plastic waste, as observed in infrared spectra and scanning electron micrographs of plastic materials incubated with the fungus. Our results demonstrated that the isolated strain of P. ostreatus shows promise in the production of composites using organic waste and non-recyclable plastics as substrates and the bioremediation of synthetic polymers.