BBC Interviews Professor Szekely on using mushrooms for oil spills
BBC has recently interviewed KAUST Assistant Professor Gyorgy Szekely on his research on using mushrooms for oil spills.
Nearly seven tons of crude oil spills into the ocean annually. In the past, producing membranes that simultaneously absorb oil and water has been a major challenge for researchers, and came with a large carbon footprint.
Professor Szekely and recently graduated Ph.D. student Joyce Cavalcante have discovered an eco-friendly and innovative alternative – the root-like fibrous structure of mushrooms could be used to create the powerful membranes. Not only is this method more sustainable, the mushroom-based membranes are also far more absorbent than traditional membrane materials.
The world’s-first commercial-scale production plant for the material opened late last year. The method that Professor Szekely has developed only requires a small amount of the material, making its scalability even more viable.
The discovery follows a global trend of praise for fungi and all that it can offer the world. Szekely tells BBC the approach was sparked by the documentary “Fantastic Fungi,” which reveals how fungi wield incredible powers as natural recyclers and architects. Fungi’s molecular structure could even be moulded into a leather substitute and used to make furniture.
Learn more about the science behind these fantastic fungi on KAUST Discovery.
