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The role of Penicillium brevicompactum in bioprocessing plastic and metals from printed circuit boards
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Researchers assessed the potential of the fungus Penicillium brevicompactum to simultaneously biodegrade plastics and leach metals from printed circuit board particles over 7 and 28 days, exploring integrated bioprocessing as an approach to the complex recycling challenges posed by electronic waste.
Printed circuit boards (PCB) present a complex recycling challenge due to their miniaturisation and different constituents (e.g., metals, plastics), highlighting the need for integrated bioprocessing approaches. Fungi have demonstrated the capacity to degrade plastics and leach metals from various sources, although their ability to process both fractions simultaneously remains largely unexplored. This study assessed the potential of the fungus Penicillium brevicompactum in bioprocessing PCB particles (1-2 mm, containing microplastics and a metal particle) for 7 and 28 days, in an aqueous culture medium. After 28 days of incubation with P. brevicompactum, the PCB particles showed a decrease in both weight (58 % loss) and number (up to 48 % fewer detected particles). In the presence of the fungus the copper concentration in the medium increased by up to 1.5-fold (17 ± 2 to 26 ± 3 mg/L). Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed potential chemical alterations in PCB microplastics fraction, particularly a decrease in the 871-873 cm peak intensity (C-H bending in aliphatic hydrocarbons) from day 7-28, potentially indicative of changes in the epoxy-based polymer. These findings highlight the promising role of P. brevicompactum in the degradation of the polymeric constituents and solubilisation of the metal fraction, a step towards a sustainable bioprocessing of PCB waste for resource recovery and pollution mitigation.
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Biodegradation of e-waste microplastics by Penicillium brevicompactum
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Scientists found that the fungus Penicillium brevicompactum can partially break down microplastics from electronic waste circuit boards over 28 days, reducing their mass and altering their surface structure. This biological approach to degrading e-waste plastics could help address a growing pollution source, though more work is needed to scale up the process and assess whether breakdown products are safe.
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