Plastic bottles are called "white garbage", and people are just like arsenic. The British "Independent" website recently reported that a new strain discovered by Japanese scientists used it as a "honey" to degrade it. Scientists say the bacteria are expected to have a positive impact on the removal of plastic waste on Earth.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the main raw material for our common disposable water bottles. It is light, colorless and durable. It is widely used and has a global annual output of 50 million tons. It is difficult to be broken down or degraded by microorganisms.
This time, scientists from Kyoto University of Technology Fiber and Keio University in Japan discovered that a bacteria can consume plastic bottles at around 29 degrees Celsius for six weeks. The research results were published in the recent issue of Science.
To find the bacteria, the researchers collected 250 samples contaminated with PET, including sediment, soil, and wastewater from plastic bottle collection points. They screened the microbes living on these samples and eventually found a group of microbes that could decompose PET films, one of which would degrade PET.
Tests have shown that the bacteria use enzymes to decompose PET to produce an intermediate chemical. This chemical is then absorbed by the cells and further broken down by other enzymes in the cells, providing the bacteria with carbon and oxygen to help them grow.
Although previous studies have found fungi that can rely on PET growth, this is the first time scientists have discovered bacteria that can eat PET. Some experts say the bacteria can be used to "kill" a growing number of plastics that damage the earth.
However, Tracy Manser, a plastics expert at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the United States, said that although the latest research is impressive, biodegradable plastics are not necessarily better than recycling plastic bottles in garbage bins. . However, he also said that the latest findings will help people find other microorganisms with similar ability to degrade PET.
At present, the problems faced by scientists include how to make the bacteria survive under certain special conditions, and how to carry out rational development and utilization.
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