<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/04/wax-worm-saliva-rapidly-breaks-down-plastic-bags-scientists-discover>
"Enzymes that rapidly break down plastic bags have been discovered in the
saliva of wax worms, which are moth larvae that infest beehives.
The enzymes are the first reported to break down polyethylene within hours at
room temperature and could lead to cost-effective ways of recycling the
plastic.
The discovery came after one scientist, an amateur beekeeper, cleaned out an
infested hive and found the larvae started eating holes in a plastic refuse
bag. The researchers said the study showed insect saliva may be “a depository
of degrading enzymes which could revolutionise [the cleanup of polluting
waste]”.
Polyethylene makes up 30% of all plastic production and is used in bags and
other packaging that make up a significant part of worldwide plastic pollution.
The only recycling at scale today uses mechanical processes and creates
lower-value products.
Chemical breakdown could create valuable chemicals or, with some further
processing, new plastic, thereby avoiding the need for new virgin plastic made
from oil. The enzymes can be easily synthesised and overcome a bottleneck in
plastic degradation, the researchers said, which is the initial breaking of the
polymer chains. That usually requires a lot of heating, but the enzymes work at
normal temperatures, in water and at neutral pH."
Via
The Fixer October 12, 2022:
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/wax-worm-saliva-plastic-recycling/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
