Fungus ‘Saccharomyces Cerevisiae’ from Beer Could be the Solution to Metal Waste Problem [Study]

Metal waste is a growing environmental problem as heavy metals that come from electronic waste recycling are hard to treat. This contamination is also becoming an ecological and public health issue. Due to this dilemma, scientists have found a way to separate and filter this metallic residue: brewed beer.

According to a recent study led by scientists from Austria, a beer fungus called Saccharomyces cerevisiae could be the solution to recycle metal ions.

The new research paper comes amid the increasing amount of electronic waste worldwide, including the accumulation of electronic scrap. Heavy metal pollution not only damages the environment and the atmosphere but is also detrimental to humans. For instance, toxic metal waste could be consumed by some living organisms once it reaches different ecosystems, including bodies of water and terrestrial habitats.

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

(Photo : Photo by Hans Ripa on Unsplash)

The potential metal waste solution involves the fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also called brewer's yeast, from brewed beer which can be used to filter out the metals coming from electrical waste streams. This according to the study published in the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology on Tuesday, March 12, where researchers considered the beer fungi as a biosorbent for metal recovery from polymetallic waste streams.

Authors of the paper acknowledged that hydrometallurgical methods are being applied in electronic waste recycling. Despite the previous consideration of biosorption as a viable option for metal recovery and removing metal solutions, details about metal biosorption from polymetallic solutions is missing, according to the Frontiers study. In this context, the research team has used a selective biosorption and environment-friendly approach to the problem.

The team used their experimental approach to filter metals like aluminum, copper, nickel, and zinc from polymetallic solutions. The method was also used to identify the effects of biomass concentration, pH, metal and improve the biosorption efficiency for each metal. Biosorption has been defined by experts as the process of removing substances or pollutants from aqueous solution using biological material, in the study's case, a fungal living organism.

Also Read: Scientists Engineered Baker's Yeast to Produce Treatment Drugs for Dementia

Electronic Waste

Prior to the study about the beer fungus as a potential solution to metal waste, the environmental problem has already produced harmful toxins across the biosphere. The growing electronic waste problem threatens both plants and animals, with evidence that the chemical element lead from electronics can also damage the central nervous system and kidneys of humans. The said element is not only found in metals but also in other manufactured products.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), electronic waste or e-waste is the world's fastest-growing solid waste stream. In 2019, it was estimated there was a production of 53.6 million tons of e-waste globally and only 17.4% of this was documented to be formally collected and recycled. The WHO warns that e-waste recycling activities particularly threaten the health of children and pregnant women.