Plastic-Eating Bacteria
March 12, 2016 6:48 AM   Subscribe

Newly discovered plastic-eating bacterium can break down PET - "A team of Japanese researchers, led by Dr Shosuke Yoshida from the Kyoto Institute of Technology, have discovered a new species of bacteria that produces a never-before-seen plastic-eating enzyme... Human-manufactured PET has only been around for around 70 years, suggesting that this trait has evolved only relatively recently."

Professor Uwe Bornscheuer explains why this finding is so significant - "Yes, indeed, it's feeding on plastic. It would be much more interesting to avoid that the bacteria is eating up the complete polymer. It would be much better to stop at the level where the terephthalate acid is produced, isolate the terephthalate acid, and then use this as a monomer again to make new polymers."
posted by kliuless (23 comments total) 27 users marked this as a favorite
 
Yeah, MoonOrb, this is how The Langoliers starts.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:59 AM on March 12, 2016 [9 favorites]


While the new discovery holds exciting possibilities for the harmless breakdown of environmentally-damaging plastics, Dr Miyamoto said that it was not as simple as unleashing armies of PET-metabolising bacteria into landfills to break down waste plastic. "Because of its crystal structure, the rate of degradation is very slow. However, after heat-treatment at 260 degrees, the crystal structure breaks down, allowing these micro-organisms to easily decompose the plastic," he said.
posted by kliuless at 7:00 AM on March 12, 2016


What could possibly go wrong?
posted by Splunge at 7:11 AM on March 12, 2016 [5 favorites]


2075: If we didn't have to feed our cars so many antibiotics, we wouldn't have all these space allergies.
posted by The White Hat at 7:18 AM on March 12, 2016 [51 favorites]


While the new discovery holds exciting possibilities for the harmless breakdown of environmentally-damaging plastics, Dr Miyamoto said that it was not as simple as unleashing armies of PET-metabolising bacteria into landfills to break down waste plastic. "Because of its crystal structure, the rate of degradation is very slow. However, after heat-treatment at 260 degrees, the crystal structure breaks down, allowing these micro-organisms to easily decompose the plastic," he said.

This is very similar to the issue with the biochemical breakdown of other polymer structures, including woody plants into cellulosic ethanol. Yes, you can engineer bacteria that digest cellulose, hemi-cellulose, or lignin. Unfortunately, in solid wood they're all locked together and the accessible surface area for that reaction to happen is very limited. Every process that has been tried to make cellulosic ethanol uses a lot of energy to grind, steam blast, and chemically attack the structure of the feedstock before the chemical digestion process is possible.
posted by atrazine at 8:30 AM on March 12, 2016 [4 favorites]


Unfortunately, it breaks it down into plutonium, gluten, and Round-Up.
posted by sonascope at 8:31 AM on March 12, 2016 [35 favorites]


How about we just use less (all those single-use bottles of water, for instance....) and recycle more?
posted by easily confused at 8:40 AM on March 12, 2016 [2 favorites]


I believe the use of bacteria that eat the trappings of modern technology also pops up in Atwood.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 8:50 AM on March 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


In the same way that "nature abhors a vacuum", I would guess that the chemical bonds in the plastic present an exploitable source of energy. Someday, a bactrium that's been floating around dormant for eons will wake up and feast on the plastic particles that are polluting our oceans. I just hope it happens before all vertebrate life dies off.
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:30 AM on March 12, 2016




>The environmentally benign breakdown products, ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid, are then used by the bacteria as an energy source.

Are these the only metabolites? I feel like the concern in bacteria developing plastic-dissolving enzymes is that they might then further the pollution by distributing metabolites that are similarly toxic to the environment.
posted by constantinescharity at 10:39 AM on March 12, 2016


The danger of plastic waste is the particulate matter produced by the physical degradation of polymers. Those tiny pieces of plastic become embedded in fatty tissues, and then disrupt the nervous or endocrine system. Ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid are not substances which anyone should have in their food; but there is comparatively less danger than can be found in the fumes from peat bogs or tar pits.
posted by MisplaceDisgrace at 10:50 AM on March 12, 2016


I did a quick wiki search on ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid, and the main uses are "raw material in the manufacture of polyester fibers and fabric industry, and polyethylene terephthalate resins (PET)" and "principally as a precursor to the polyester PET, used to make clothing and plastic bottles", respectively.

So on the one hand, it doesn't break down into something as benign as silica or iron, but on the other hand, it's my understanding (and my understanding is admittedly weak) that one of the problems of recycling plastic is that it's difficult to unbake that cake when it's made, and if this is an easy, energy-efficient way to get it back into semi-constituent parts, it'll make recycling that much more economically attractive, which means less overall input into the system.

So, yay?
posted by eclectist at 10:53 AM on March 12, 2016


It strikes me that all this intractable plastic is carbon captured in a form which is relatively unlikely to make it into the atmosphere as CO2 anytime soon.

If a bacterium which could rapidly metabolize it came along and spread widely, global warming might suddenly get significantly worse.
posted by jamjam at 1:04 PM on March 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


This makes me think of Stephenson's "Zodiac"
posted by rmd1023 at 2:42 PM on March 12, 2016


Yes, this seems like a great find. Sod hoverboards, plastic eating bacteria and radiotrophic fungi are where it's at.
posted by lucidium at 4:08 PM on March 12, 2016


Andromeda Strain: preppers would do well to stock up on top shelf Sterno.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 5:02 PM on March 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


It's an Ill Wind that blows nobody any good....
posted by Beti at 6:26 PM on March 12, 2016


Those tiny pieces of plastic become embedded in fatty tissues

They do?
posted by sneebler at 6:34 PM on March 12, 2016


I definitely recall reading more than one sci-fi story with this as the premise.
posted by limeonaire at 6:45 PM on March 12, 2016


Where do you think the Scientists got the idea to pursue this?
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:49 PM on March 12, 2016


Ice nine
posted by Steakfrites at 12:36 AM on March 13, 2016 [1 favorite]


previously

(and if we're keeping track, Ringworld was where I first encountered the "plastic-eating bacterium destroys civilization" trope)
posted by aspersioncast at 8:39 AM on March 13, 2016 [1 favorite]


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