A fungus against climate change? Yes, indeed!
Abhijeet Singh, postdoktor vid Institutionen för geovetenskaper; Paleobiologi.
Abhijeet Singh, fAbhijeet Singh, a researcher at Uppsala University, has found a little helper in the fight against climate change – a fungus!
An acid-loving fungus, provisionally named Ca. Talaromyces acidophilus strain UU, has been shown to increase the weathering of dunite by up to 130% in laboratory experiments, especially in low concentrations of citric acid.
Within the EU-funded project BAM! – Bio-enhanced weathering, he is exploring how fungi can accelerate the weathering of rocks and thereby contribute to binding carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The focus is on dunite – a silica-poor rock – and how its decomposition can be improved with the help of citric acid and a newly discovered, fast-growing fungus in the Talaromyces genus. This acid-loving fungus, provisionally named Ca. Talaromyces acidophilus strain UU, was found to increase the weathering of dunite by up to 130% in laboratory experiments, especially in low concentrations of citric acid.
The most surprising thing? The fungus worked better in static environments than in stirred reactors. By analysing the fungus's genes, the researchers were also able to see that it produces enzymes that affect pH and thus actively contribute to carbon dioxide fixation.
Singh's research opens up exciting possibilities for using biological processes in future climate solutions – where fungi not only break down rocks, but also build a more sustainable future.
Read more about the project here: https://www.uu.se/en/department/earth-sciences/research/palaeobiology/bam---bio-accelerated-mineral-weathering