Is this the Future of Plastic Waste?
The issue of plastic pollution is one the of most pressing environmental changes of our time. They have caused irreparable harm to our ecosystems. Efforts to combat this crisis are in progress but still are not sufficient. However, this discovery has raised our hopes for a less polluted future environment.
In 2017, scientists at the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria in Spain made an accidental discovery. When Dr. Federica Bertochinni placed the waxworms in a plastic bag to study their potential for breaking down beeswax, the worms started degrading the plastic as soon as their mouth touched the plastic.
Apparently, there are two enzymes, namely Demeter and Ceres, present in the saliva of the worms capable of breaking down the commonly used plastic known as polyethylene, turning it into a useful substance for the worm itself. They also a have type of bacteria in their gut, that helps them to digest it. This is surely about the specific combination of bacteria and enzymes that can break down plastic, something that is exceptionally rare in nature. But why?
Well, most things decompose because the bacteria and the enzymes break down the chemical bonds of the substance. Plastic is made up of long chains of polymers that are very strongly bonded together. One way of doing this is through oxidation. This is what the worms are doing with their saliva, introducing oxygen molecules to plastic. They do this in a few hours, instead of months and years.
However, this cannot be the solution. The real stars of this show are the enzymes. If the researchers can identify them, then they have the chance to be one of the solutions. Now, many researchers across the world are looking for similar enzymes present in other organisms in nature. They have found over 30,000 enzymes in nature that are capable of digesting plastic.
Scientists are now involved in researching a new type of bacteria named Ideonella sakaiensis that has the capability to break down Polyethylene Terephthalate(PET) with its enzyme named PETase. PET is the most commonly used type of plastic. Grocery bags, water bottles, and many more single-use plastics are all made up of PET. It can break down PET in a matter of days which would usually take centuries to degrade. Although, this is scant.
To make any real impact, you need to accelerate the rate at which this enzyme works. This is what the researchers are exactly trying to do. Researchers are trying to engineer this using AI. They ran simulations on which combination of mutations would speed up this process. They named this speedy variation of PETase as FAST-PETase.
After PET plastic is broken down into its chemical components, it can now be recycled to make something unexpected. For example, something like this:
Yes, Vanilla. It can be used to make Vanillin, the primary ingredient used in making vanilla. They made this using E. coli (a type of bacteria). And yes it is genuinely okay to consume it.
Scientists are now trying to upcycle this plastic into more useful substances rather than downcycling it into more low-grade plastic, which ultimately results in more pollution. One of the most interesting things scientists are focused on upcycling this into pharmaceutical intermediates.
So medication, materials for your clothing, flavoring compounds, cosmetics, and the list goes down. This is only the beginning of what would be possible in the area of plastic upcycling. So, these worms and bacteria aren’t going to eat our problems away. But it is exciting what is going around it and all hail to nature for this inspiration.
I would take this chance to urge everyone to collectively reduce our plastic consumption and shift towards a more environmentally-conscious community. Leading by example in minimizing plastic use can inspire others to follow suit, significantly improving our environment.
