Plastic-eating mealworms may offer waste disposal solution

[Bancopuma]

Life finds a way...

Plastic-eating worms may offer solution to mounting waste, Stanford researchers discover | Stanford News Release

Study:

Yang, Y., Yang, J., Wu, W., Zhao, J., Song, Y., Gao, L. Yang, R. & Jiang, L. (2015) Biodegradation and Mineralization of Polystyrene by Plastic-Eating Mealworms. 2. Role of Gut Microorganisms. Environmental Science & Technology. In Press.

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.5b02663

 

[DoingKermit]

"The papers, published in Environmental Science and Technology, are the first to provide detailed evidence of bacterial degradation of plastic in an animal's gut. Understanding how bacteria within mealworms carry out this feat could potentially enable new options for safe management of plastic waste."

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