While I have not written about it here, any time I see the word Mycoremediation (the use of fungi to degrade or sequester contaminants) I get a little excited because, well, because it’s using a natural ability of nature to clean up after ourselves, with a hopefully justified presumption that the mushrooms produced are either edible, or can be disposed of safely. And, of course, there’s no extra use of energy, noxious chemicals, or mechanical displacements. I first heard about it years ago in connection with the removal of diesel fuel contaminated soil, possibly as far back as my BBS days, and I keep hoping it’ll come into greater use.
So I was pleased to see Treehugger.com cover the use of fungi to safely handle the disposal of smartphone batteries. Take it away, Megan Treacy!
Researchers at the University of South Florida have created a process for extracting lithium and cobalt from lithium-ion batteries that is straight from nature. The researchers found that fungi can safely and simply extract the metals from used batteries, keeping the materials out of landfills and ready to be reused in new batteries.
The batteries are first taken apart and the cathodes are pulverized. Then three different strains of fungus — Aspergillus niger, Penicillium simplicissimum and Penicillium chrysogenum — take over.
“Fungi naturally generate organic acids, and the acids work to leach out the metals,” explained Jeffrey A. Cunningham, Ph.D., the project’s team leader, to the American Chemical Society. “Through the interaction of the fungus, acid and pulverized cathode, we can extract the valuable cobalt and lithium. We are aiming to recover nearly all of the original material.”
Processes used to recycle batteries and other electronics can require high temperatures and harsh chemicals and can be unsafe. The fungi are able to recover the valuable metals safely and, as a bonus, it’s very inexpensive.
The process isn’t quite as efficient as I’d like to see, and the extracted material isn’t ready for re-use – but it’s a step on the path, and a really cool step.
