Plastic Degradation Research
The speed at which fungi digest plastic can be impacted by the plastic type, percentage of plastic in the substrate, size of plastic pieces, and prior exposure to radiation. It's clear we'll need to pre-treat our plastic to make the degradation process efficient. A few of the most important studies we've read are listed here.
This research project is the only time something similar to our product has been created before. However, this project was developed from an artistic standpoint instead of as an engineered product.
This article summarizes the most recent research on plastic degradation by fungi. It references the PUR study but also mentions Oyster mushrooms (or Pleurotus Ostreatus) as viable alternatives.
This great article from University of Sidney explains fungal degradation of plastic in layman's terms, and points out that no one has yet optimised the experiment for reduced time.
This study found very clear evidence that fungi living in plants (mostly from the Amazon) can visibly break down PUR plastic.
This study covers many types of fungi and the mechanisms with which they chemically break plastic down.
Plastic exposed to UV radiation begins breaking down more quickly than plastic not exposed to UV radiation. UV radiation can also act as a sanitizing agent against microbes present on the plastic.