The idea is that some kind of enzyme engineered from the gut of an insect or bacteria could be used to digest difficult-to-recycle plastic so it could be made into new plastic products, which would reduce the need for virgin plastic. Used for things such as coffee cups and packing peanuts, polystyrene is one of the most common plastics in production. It accounts for “up to 7-10% of the total non-fibre plastic production,” according to the paper.
— Read on m.slashdot.org/story/400892
Scientists create mutant enzymes that eat plastic bottles – CNET
A possible solution to the world’s plastic pollution problem was created by accident.
— Read on www.cnet.com/news/scientists-create-mutant-enzymes-that-eat-plastic-bottles/
Continue reading “Scientists create mutant enzymes that eat plastic bottles – CNET”
‘This Is a Shock’: Scientists Put Mealworms on a Diet of Styrofoam and Were Surprised to See What Happened | TheBlaze.com
The research published this week in the journal Environmental Science and Technology as a pair of studies (here and here) found that 100 mealworms ate up to 39 milligrams of Styrofoam each day and within 24 hours excreted what they didn’t use into what the news release described as “biodegraded fragments that look similar to tiny rabbit droppings.” This excrement, Wu said, appeared to be safe in the soil for crops.
shot1.org 