Mushroom enzymes could reduce environmental impact of laundry
Environmentally friendly detergents using enzymes from items including mushrooms are being developed by Danish biotechnology firm, Novozymes. Enzyme detergents, for use in washing machines and dishwashers, work at lower temperatures, require less water and use less soap from palm oil and petrochemicals than traditional alternatives. Washing machines are currently responsible for over 6% of European Union household electricity use. Novozymes has also developed a enzyme being used in China that it hopes will prevent people in that country starting to wash clothes at higher temperatures as they become wealthier, claiming this would constitute “a phenomenal sustainability story”.
 

COPENHAGEN — A Danish biotechnology company is trying to fight climate change — one laundry load at a time. Its secret weapon: mushrooms like those in a dormant forest outside Copenhagen.

In the quest for a more environmentally friendly detergent, two scientists at the company, Novozymes, regularly trudge through the mud, hunting for oyster mushrooms that protrude from a fallen beech or bracken fungi that feast on tough plant fibers. They are studying the enzymes in mushrooms that speed up chemical reactions or natural processes like decay.

“There is a lot going on here, if you know what to look for,” said Mikako Sasa, one of the Novozymes scientists.

Their work is helping the company develop enzymes for laundry and dishwasher detergents that would require less water, or that would work just as effectively at lower temperatures. The energy savings could be significant. Washing machines, for instance, account for over 6 percent of household electricity use in the European Union.