Plastic pollution is a worldwide issue. Plastic packaging production and consumption contributes to this problem as they pollute our land and ocean environments, posing health risks to both humans and animals.

To address these issues, the current project investigates the application of farming mycelium extracted from the fungi Pleurotus ostreatus in devising biodegradable packaging.

The growth of P. ostreatus was observed and recorded on different substrates and culture mediums. Mycelial growth experiments were conducted on hay, rye seeds, malt agar, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, and flour.

Additional studies were conducted using hay, Xanthan Gum, and Guar Gum as coatings and substrate. These substrates proved to be viable in creating mycelium-based objects and molds.

To assess if mycelium-based packaging is equally as sustainable as petroleum-based packaging, a compression test using an Instron machine was used to analyze the compressive strain and Young’s modulus (E) of mycelium and mycelium coated with Xanthan and Guar Gum. Results of this test indicate that mycelium alone is most applicable for packaging as maximum compressive strain and Young’s modulus was greatest in this cohort.

Mycelium alone was then compared to Styrofoam and results indicate that Mycelium packaging is 13 times stiffer than Styrofoam indicating its resistance to compression. Additional experiments assessed degradation rates by exposing mycelium and mycelium coated with Xanthan and Guar Gum in both indoor and outdoor environments.

Results indicate that mycelium-based packaging is a greener, viable, and effective alternative to petroleum-based packaging and may be a solution to global plastic consumption.

Plastic pollution has long become a global dilemma and current methods of removal from the environment have largely been unsuccessful due to their limitations and harmful long-term effects.

Whether it is burning waste or depositing it into landfills and oceans, we are counteracting our efforts at saving the environment.

The purpose of this research is to analyze the effects of plastic pollution on our coastal ecosystems by categorizing and quantifying plastic debris along a Long Island beach and to propose a novel mitigation method to sustainably degrade plastic.

For this study, Sunken Meadow Park, located in Kings Park, N.Y., was surveyed for plastic pollution. The coast was analyzed using aerial imaging coupled with on the ground sampling to assess trends in concentration, type, and location of plastics.

Survey data suggests that hundreds of pounds of plastic, mainly High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), line this beach. My project provides a safe alternative to this issue by using fungi to break down these plastics in a more efficient way.

Current methods pose more long-term harm than good; however, using bacterial enzymes or fungi may offer better solutions. Thus, this project also addresses the efficacy of the fungus Aspergillus niger in degrading HDPE. Not only will it allow us to further studies in the biodegradation of plastics, but it will also allow us to take a closer look into the biochemical properties of fungi.

Laboratory findings support that A. niger, when exposed to an environment with HDPE, indicates A. niger’s potential in degrading HDPE. Therefore indicating A. niger as a potential solution to plastic pollution.

Japanese Knotweed is a dense growing shrub that can reach heights of up to Japanese Knotweed, Reynoutria japonica, is a dense growing shrub that can reach heights of up to ten feet.

Japanese Knotweed is often found along roadsides and stream banks. Invasion occurs when dense monocultures expand and when rhizomes are fragmented.

Management and eradication of Reynoutria japonica is difficult as reproduction occurs both vegetatively and through seeds and can survive in almost all pHs.

One of its common eradication methods is the use of the harmful herbicide glyphosate. Glyphosate inhibits the photosynthesis process of the plant causing it to lose its functionality.

The present study focuses on inhibiting the plants’ photosynthesis process, the way glyphosate does, through manipulating the osmosis process to determine if watering this plant with salt water is an effective eradication method.

The current study determines saltwater’s effect on R. japonica’s survival by treating four out of the eight parcels with 20 gallons of saltwater from a nearby water body to fight nature with nature.

Chlorophyll fluorescence was measured every two days for about six weeks. The current study data suggest that watering Reynoutria japonica with 20 gallons will decrease the chlorophyll fluorescence, indicating that the photosynthesis process was inhibited, causing the plant to lose its leaves and die, illustrating the efficacy of salt water as an effective environmentally safe, mitigation strategy. 

Japanese Knotweed, otherwise known as Reynoutria japonica, is an invasive dense-growing shrub, commonly located along roadsides and stream banks.

Japanese Knotweed is responsible for the destruction of infrastructure, underground services, pavement, tarmac, building foundations, wall structures, roads, and more.

Invasion within the United States occurs when dense monocultures expand and when rhizomes and shoots are fragmented, which may occur from environmental perturbations or human removal.

Management and eradication of Reynoutria japonica is considerably difficult as it can regenerate itself both vegetatively (rhizome and shoots) and through seeds.

In the present study, three experiments were conducted to assess vegetative fragment viability in both the field and the laboratory.

First, I assess the vegetative propagation of three fragment viability experiments, two of which are performed under a controlled environment while the other is observed in the field. Data suggests that smaller rhizome fragments are just as viable as larger fragments in regenerating.

Findings suggest that there is no difference in growth when comparing different-sized fragments. My analysis on the regenerative abilities of shoots indicates that they remain viable. Therefore, it is necessary to be vigilant of vegetative fragment size when removing this species.