April 2, 2024

Jasmine Nguyen

11th Grade

Fountain Valley High School

Introduction

For decades, plastic consumption has been a significant threat to our environment. The consequences of overconsumption have been made apparent through wildlife endangerment, polluted habitats, and food contamination. Scientists have taken action, recognizing these recurring issues due to plastic pollution, and increased their focus on combating these issues. The carbon structures of plastic make it much harder to decompose in a natural process. Scientists have been working hard to understand and reveal the works behind breaking down plastics. So, how have scientists combated the study of decomposing plastic? In what ways have they developed the process of breaking down these stubborn bonds? Is there a way to assess this problem without further damage to our environment?

Zophobas Atratus Worms

Meet the small but remarkable creature– Zophobas atratus worms. These worms, the larvae of darkling beetles that are commonly used as household pet food, contain an energy-rich microbiome, sustaining thousands of differing microorganisms, all with differing benefits. These worms contain bacteria that are capable of breaking down various compounds– most importantly, strongly-bonded compounds that make up plastic. 

The Super Gut Developed from the Super Worms

Scientists came to realize that these superworms will tackle the problem of plastic decomposition like never before. However, scaling up the plastic decomposition process posed a new problem. Cao Bin, a professor at NTU, states that these creatures, although seemingly powerful, “only consume about a couple of milligrams of plastic in its lifetime, so imagine the number of worms that would be needed if we were to rely on them to process our plastic waste." With this problem in mind, scholars from NTU’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Singapore Centre of Environmental Life Sciences Engineering trained the worms’ digestion, catalyzing the process of breaking down specific plastics. By extracting the worms’ microbiomes and cultivating them in the laboratory, they were able to tailor the worms’ microbiomes to break down certain plastics with greater efficiency, such as high-density polyethylene and polypropylene.

How This Affects the Future of Plastic Biodegradation 

Thanks to the scientists who believed in the use of microbiomes in the decomposition of plastic, the world of science was able to make a larger step towards decreasing plastic toxins on earth and reversing the decades of plastic consumption. However, studying these microbiomes has not come to an end yet– scientists are continuously experimenting and striving to understand the workings of these bacteria, and how they are able to break down strong compounds. Understanding the process on a microscopic level may help scientists develop a more cost-effective and sustainable way for the decomposition of plastic.