In a possibly revolutionary discovery for processing plastic, scientists of the Federal Institute Switzerland (VSL). In particular, scientists have found in the Alps and Antarctica microbes what can they eat plastic while they are at low temperatures. These microbes, whose discovery was published in the scientific journal Frontiers of Microbiology, have the ability to break down plastic at temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius.

Organisms have been found in the past that could do the same at 30 degrees Celsius, but their exploitation was deemed economically and environmentally unfeasible due to the heat that would be required to use them in high temperature conditions. processing industry.

According to scientists, these are 19 types of bacteria and 15 types of fungi that were grown on plastic waste and then cultured in the laboratory to determine the types of plastic they can break down. Among them was biodegradable polyester, 19 out of 34 types of which were able to digest at a temperature of 15 degrees.

In addition, 17 species were able to digest fibrous polylactic acid, which is widely used commercially (eg in tea bags). Unfortunately, even after 126 days, none of the microbes could destroy the polyethylene from which most plastic bags and films are made, products that are one of the most intractable environmental problems of our time.

Although plastics have only been widely used since the 1950s, microbes can degrade polymers because they resemble certain structures found in plant cells.

Dr. Beat Fry, co-author of the study, explained: “Microbes have been shown to produce a wide range of polymer-degrading enzymes involved in the breakdown of plant cell walls. In particular, fungi are often reported to biodegrade polyesters due to their ability to produce cutinases that target plastic polymers due to their similarity to the plant polymer cutin.”

Scientists have only tested microbes at one temperature, so they haven’t yet found the best one to use. However, they say they work well between 4 and 20 degrees Celsius, making their use in the processing industry a viable option.