Sofia Martinez
Plastic pollution is a pressing issue, with plastic waste choking beaches and landfills and microplastics being found in fruits, vegetables, and nearly every human organ. While current recycling methods are inadequate, there is growing evidence that certain organisms can break down plastics. In 2016, Japanese researchers discovered a new species of bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis, capable of eating PET plastic. This discovery has since led to a wave of revelations about plastic-eating bacteria found in various environments. Additionally, researchers have genetically engineered marine microorganisms to break down plastics in saltwater, specifically targeting polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a significant contributor to microplastic pollution in oceans. While these advancements are promising, challenges remain, including the slow digestion rate of bacteria and the need for higher temperatures to enhance enzyme performance.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Organisms that break down plastic | Bacteria, Fungi, Genetically modified microorganisms |
| Types of Bacteria | Ideonella sakaiensis, Vibrio natriegens |
| Types of Fungi | Fusarium oxysporum, Cutinase LC-cutinase, Thermobifida fusca cutinase |
| Plastic Types | Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polystyrene (PS), Polypropylene (PP) |
| Plastic Breakdown Process | Enzymatic Recycling, Super-enzymes, Mechanical Recycling |
| Plastic Breakdown Challenges | Cost, Temperature, Environmental Impact, Time, Quantity of Plastic Waste |
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What You'll Learn
Bacteria can break down plastic
The discovery of I. sakaiensis set off a scientific stampede, with research teams from across the world finding plastic-eating bacteria in the most unexpected places, from the top of the Alps to swamps in China and the Arctic. These bacteria have adapted to an environment degraded by plastic waste and evolved to use plastic as food.
In 2018, researchers at the University of Portsmouth determined the 3D structure of PETase, an enzyme that breaks down plastic. This allowed them to engineer a 'super-enzyme' that breaks down plastic bottles in days rather than months. In 2020, the same university combined PETase with another enzyme to create a new 'super-enzyme' that works six times faster.
While these breakthroughs are promising, there are still some drawbacks. The enzymes need to be in an environment where the temperature is above 30°C, which is only found in certain parts of the world. The cost of heating the bacteria to get them to digest plastic is too high in terms of money and environmental impact. Additionally, it would be challenging to produce enough bacteria to eat all the plastic we send into the environment every year, let alone the plastic that is already there.
Despite these challenges, the potential of using bacteria to break down plastic is significant. Researchers have genetically engineered marine microorganisms to break down plastic in saltwater, specifically, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic that contributes to microplastic pollution in oceans. This is an important development because it is not economically feasible to remove plastics from the ocean and rinse them before beginning any breakdown processes.
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Genetically modified organisms can break down plastic in saltwater
Plastic is a highly useful material, but its inability to biodegrade is a significant disadvantage. Plastic waste ends up in landfills and the ocean, where it contributes to microplastic pollution, threatening marine life, ecosystems, and potentially human health.
In 2016, scientists in Japan discovered bacteria that could break down plastic. Named Ideonella sakaiensis, this bacterium was found to have naturally evolved to use a certain type of plastic as food. However, there are drawbacks to using this bacterium to break down plastic, including the slow speed at which it digests plastic and the challenge of producing enough bacteria to address the vast amount of plastic waste.
To address these challenges, researchers have genetically engineered a marine microorganism to break down plastic in saltwater. This modified organism can break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic used in water bottles and clothing that significantly contributes to microplastic pollution in the oceans. The researchers worked with two species of bacteria: Vibrio natriegens, which thrives in saltwater and reproduces quickly, and Ideonella sakaiensis, which produces enzymes that enable it to break down and metabolize PET. By taking the DNA from I. sakaiensis and incorporating it into a plasmid (a genetic sequence that can replicate independently in a cell), the researchers introduced the plasmid containing the I. sakaiensis genes into V. natriegens. This resulted in the production of the desired enzymes on the surfaces of the V. natriegens cells, allowing it to break down PET in a saltwater environment at room temperature.
According to Tianyu Li, a Ph.D. student at NC State and the first author of the paper, this is the first genetically engineered organism known to break down PET microplastics in saltwater. This is significant because it is not economically feasible to remove plastics from the ocean and treat them before breaking them down. While this is a crucial advancement, researchers acknowledge that additional challenges must be addressed. One hurdle is incorporating the DNA from I. sakaiensis directly into the genome of V. natriegens to make the production of plastic-degrading enzymes a more stable feature of the modified organism. Another challenge is modifying V. natriegens to feed on the byproducts it produces when breaking down PET.
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Enzymes can break down plastic
Plastic is a human-made material that has become ubiquitous in our daily lives. Unfortunately, plastic waste has become a significant environmental concern, with vast amounts of plastic ending up in landfills and the natural environment. The persistence of plastic waste is due to the fact that most plastic does not readily biodegrade. As a result, there is an increasing interest in finding organisms that can break down plastic.
Enzymes are tiny molecular machines within cells that facilitate specific chemical reactions. They work by manipulating other molecules, bringing them closer together to bind or twisting them to make them more susceptible to breaking apart. Enzymes play a crucial role in breaking down complex compounds, and they can indeed break down plastic.
In 2016, Japanese researchers discovered a new species of bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis, which can consume PET plastic due to its digestive enzymes. This discovery sparked a flurry of research into plastic-eating bacteria worldwide. Scientists have also explored ways to speed up the process by engineering enzymes to break down plastic faster. For instance, researchers at the University of Portsmouth developed a "super-enzyme" that can break down plastic in days rather than months.
Additionally, genetic engineering has led to the creation of a marine microorganism that can break down plastic in saltwater. This modified organism combines Vibrio natriegens, which thrives in saltwater, with Ideonella sakaiensis, which produces enzymes to break down and metabolize PET. By transferring the DNA responsible for enzyme production into Vibrio natriegens, researchers created a bacterium capable of breaking down PET in a saltwater environment at room temperature.
While these developments are promising, challenges remain. The process of breaking down plastic with enzymes or bacteria tends to be slow, and the required environmental conditions, such as temperature, can be limiting. Furthermore, the amount of plastic waste we generate annually far surpasses our current capabilities to break it down with these methods. Nevertheless, the discovery and enhancement of enzymes that can break down plastic offer hope in our fight against plastic pollution.
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Fungi can break down plastic
Plastic is a material that has become integral to our daily lives. However, it is also a significant contributor to waste, especially in the form of microplastics. While most plastic does not biodegrade, certain organisms like bacteria and fungi can break down plastic.
The Eurotiomycetes class has the highest number of recorded plastic degraders in the fungi kingdom. However, the Sordariomycetes class has a wide range of plastic-degrading fungal genera. A 2017 study identified a strain of the fungi Aspergillus tubingensis that was breaking down plastic at a landfill in Islamabad, Pakistan. In 2023, researchers at the University of Sydney used two common strains of fungi, Aspergillus terreus and Engyodontium album, to successfully biodegrade polypropylene in a laboratory experiment. The plastic was reduced by 21% over 30 days and by 25-27% over 90 days.
Fungi have also been found to grow on man-made materials like car headlights, carpets, painted furniture, tile grout, shower curtains, and upholstery. This is because they have evolved to break down woody materials, and this ability can be repurposed to break down other substrates.
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Challenges of using organisms to break down plastic
While using organisms to break down plastic is an innovative approach to tackling plastic pollution, there are several challenges and limitations to this method.
One major challenge is the sheer volume of plastic waste. The world has produced an enormous amount of plastic, with most of it ending up in landfills and the environment. It would be a daunting task to create enough bacteria to effectively break down the vast amount of plastic waste we generate annually, let alone the plastic that has already accumulated over the years.
The rate at which bacteria digest plastic is another significant hurdle. Even with recent advancements in enzyme engineering, the process is still relatively slow compared to the rate at which plastic waste is generated. While bacteria like Ideonella sakaiensis can break down plastic, they do so at a pace that may not be fast enough to keep up with the magnitude of the plastic pollution problem.
Certain bacteria also have specific environmental requirements to function optimally. For example, some bacteria need temperatures above 30°C to effectively break down plastic, which limits their applicability in colder regions. This constraint adds to the cost and environmental impact of the process, as energy would be required to maintain the necessary temperature conditions.
Furthermore, the discovery and engineering of plastic-degrading bacteria are still in the early stages of development. While there have been successes with specific types of plastic, such as PET, there is a need to expand the range of plastics that can be broken down. The goal is to find organisms or enzymes that can tackle a wider variety of plastics, including those commonly found in the environment, such as microplastics and nanoplastics.
Lastly, the implementation of bacteria-based solutions at a large scale poses logistical challenges. Distributing and applying the bacteria to plastic waste in an efficient and controlled manner would require significant planning and resources. Ensuring that the bacteria only target the desired plastic waste and do not cause unintended ecological consequences is also crucial.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, there are organisms that can break down plastic. In 2016, scientists in Japan discovered a new species of bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis, capable of eating PET plastic.
PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate, a plastic used in everything from water bottles to clothing. It is a significant contributor to microplastic pollution in oceans.
Organisms use enzymes, tiny molecular machines within a cell, to break down plastic. Enzymes work by helping chemical reactions happen at a microscopic scale, sometimes forcing reactive atoms closer together to bind them, or twisting complex molecules at specific points to make them more likely to break apart.
Examples of organisms that can break down plastic include the bacteria Ideonella sakaiensis and Vibrio natriegens, and the fungus Fusarium oxysporum.
One challenge is that the process of breaking down plastic with organisms can be very slow. Additionally, the cost of heating up some enzymes and bacteria to get them to digest plastic can be too expensive. Furthermore, the current methods of collecting, transporting, and processing waste for recycling need to be improved to address plastic pollution effectively.
