38 ms·
This is the key part: Microorganisms in the worms' guts biodegrade the plastic in the process The question is whether we can harness these bacteria to break d
by jobu 11y ago
This is the key part:
Microorganisms in the worms' guts biodegrade the plastic in the process
The question is whether we can harness these bacteria to break down plastics in landfills.
- ohitsdom 11y agoAgreed, cut out the middleman.
- oskenso 11y agoDon't we need them though? The host protects and helps transport the bacteria
- Zikes 11y agoThe bacteria may need a diet other than pure plastic as well, which the mealworm provides.
- bewaretheirs 11y agoI'd imagine that the mealworm's mouth parts play a role in chopping up the styrofoam into digestible pieces.
- scott_karana 11y agoWe could always run the styrofoam through an industrial chipper at the landfill, couldn't we?
- prolepunk 11y agoActually having a middleman is kind of awesome, as you don't want your plastics to degrade in the environment while you're still using them.
- onion2k 11y agoIf that were possible then you'd expect to see landfills teaming with beetles already. As that isn't mentioned, perhaps something else in the landfill stops them?
- djent 11y agoBirds, snakes, frogs, toads, any natural predator really.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- cmyr 11y agothat they're anaerobic and generally toxic?
- foofoo55 11y agoAnaerobic bacteria thrive inside landfills and compost [1], just not so much at the surface. The awful stink (and methane) from dug up trash or wet compost is from anaerobic bacteria. [1] http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/biology_anaerobic.htm http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/biology_anaer...
- jkyle 11y agoI don't know if they're not teaming with beetles....anytime I've had the misfortune of being rather close to a landfill they seemed teaming with all manner of insects.
- notduncansmith 11y agoI believe "teeming" may be the spelling you want[1]. [1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/teeming http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/teeming
- 11y ago
- theophrastus 11y agoThere is some really amazing biochemistry going on here. The essential enzymes involved (and understanding their exact mechanism) would be of inestimable value for several reasons; a very large one you (jobu) suggest right here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene#Biodegradation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene#Biodegradation "... rates of styrene degradation ranged from 0.14 to 0.4 a−1. This is an order of magnitude faster than the most rapid rate of polystyrene degradation identified... Pseudomonas putida is capable of converting styrene oil into the biodegradable plastic PHA. This may be of use in the effective recycling of Polystyrene foam, otherwise thought to be non-biodegradable."
- bduerst 11y agoIf they're in the gut, odds are they're anaerobic and don't live long if exposed to the atmosphere. Could work for incubation vats or maybe buried landfills.
- louithethrid 11y agoIm sure they will keep to the landfills, cause eating house insulation or the furniture is considered bad taste.
- frevd 11y agoInstead of putting them into nature we should put them into our food, to digest all that plastic that will be in our food chain soon.
- munificent 11y agoI think the real scary question is what happens if we do. One of the main reasons we use plastics is because they are great barriers against bacteria and other grossness. We wrap food in plastic, put dirty diapers and dog poop in plastic, put garbage in plastic, wrap raw meat in plastic, use plastic for medical equipment. All because it reliably keeps out (or in) the bad stuff. What happens if there are plastic-eating bacteria all over the world? Imagine what it would feel like if everywhere we currently used plastic we were using uncoated paper instead? What kind of sanitization problems would we be experiencing?
- smt88 11y agoAssuming they're not airborne and can't live long away from specific environment(s), this wouldn't be a problem. Also, there are plenty of other things to hold food that can be used instead of plastic. I doubt sanitation would be the main problem.
- novaleaf 11y ago"Nature finds a way"
- pyrocat 11y ago"Life ᵘʰ finds a way"
- novaleaf 11y agoAhh, my movie quote mastery skills pale compared to you. (also HN markup skills it seems)
- wyldfire 11y agoIt's funny you should bring that line up -- "The Andromeda Strain" (also by Crichton) features a microbe that's able to decompose plastics and rubbers.
- 11y ago
- moheeb 11y agoThe question is whether we can... inject the bacteria into the guts of poor and hungry people and feed them our plastic.