Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute WSL have discovered microorganisms that digest plastic at low temperatures. These organisms are found in the Alps and arctic regions.
Many microbes are known to be able to recycle plastic, but they only do so at high temperatures.
Because they are of poor quality and take up a lot of space, these bottles are a barrier to industrial-scale plastic recycling.
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have found that microbes living in extremely cold environments can digest plastic.
The strains belonged to 13 genera of actinobacteria and proteobacteria, 10 ascomycots and mucoromycots. They were left in complete darkness at a moderate temperature for 126 days.
The experiment showed that no microbial species could survive on polyethylene, but 19 strains, including 11 fungi and eight bacteria, were able to degrade polyester-polyurethane (PUR) and PBAT and PLA plastic blends.
The fungi neodevriesia and lachnellula have shown the greatest potential to degrade various types of plastic. However, they were unable to decompose polyethylene, the most common type of plastic.
The discovery of bacteria that can break down plastic could lead to new recycling technologies. WORLD24 .
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