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.

[–] eran_morad 21 points 4 months ago

The fungi are likely oxidizing the plastic to CO2, probably via many metabolic intermediates. This is likely driven by the fact that plastics are chemically reduced - a rich source of chemical potential energy. Accessing that energy requires enzymatic conversion to a less reduced state, culminating in the fully oxidized CO2 molecule.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

And some toxic compounds.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago

I've heard living organisms tend to output carbondioxide