Teen isolates plastic-eating bacteria

[rakkis]

Haven't looked up primary sources, but if this article is even half right, our planet just got cleaner



TheRecord.com - CanadaWorld - WCI student isolates microbe that lunches on plastic bags

Short version: Kid getting scholarship and accolades for isolating bacteria that eats polyethylene. His reasoning? Plastic EVENTUALLY degrades.. he figured it had to do with bacteria and the specific one not existing in high enough concentrations to keep up with our waste. Clean, simple experiment = winner! :O

Can't wait until this is implemented worldwide. Let's hope it pans out!

 

[CheddarChick]

wow....I wonder what is left at the end...

 

[BKP]

wow....I wonder what is left at the end...

Well... melt the plastic things around my house, and you're left with...
...batteries...

 

[goldenbear01]

wow...i'm very impressed! i wonder if the bacteria can grow in the pacific ocean...if so, i wonder if it would be a good idea to use them on the great pacific garbage patch (a texas-sized floating refuse heap consisting of tons of plastic and other debris, see, Giant garbage patch floating in Pacific).

 

[goldenbear01]

wow....I wonder what is left at the end...

i would assume more of the same types of bacteria, which in turn will be fed upon by other organisms, etc...

 

[Deefstes]

wow....I wonder what is left at the end...

Plastic poo?

 

[goldenbear01]

I know it's probably too much to hope for, but what if the bacteria exhaled O2 as a byproduct or as waste?

 

[vintagediver]

wow....I wonder what is left at the end...

co2, water, ameno acids, broken polymer chains....not much
They have been doing this for years in the oil industry. It is called "bio remediation".
Wherever there is an organic substance there is a microbe that will eat it.