CommsBio: 20% of bacterial strains can eat plastic
About 20 percent of the studied bacterial strains can decompose plastic. An unexpected beneficial property of bacteria was named by Dutch microbiologists from Leiden University, their study is published in the journal Communications Biology.
The authors of the study found that microorganisms can be reoriented to eat plastic if they are deprived of more convenient energy sources. According to one of the researchers, PhD candidate Jo-Ann Verschoor, bacteria, just like people, will not do something without motivation. “For example, many people do not like to run, but they will probably run very fast if a tiger is chasing them,” she explained.
The study found that a gene called lipase A plays a key role in the microorganisms’ ability to eat polymers. The scientists believe that its discovery expands the pool of bacteria that could be used to combat plastic waste.
Earlier, Russian scientists suggested fertilizing landfills with algae. They believe that this will allow biohydrogen to be extracted from waste.
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