Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered a “plastic-eating bacteria,” called Comamonas. This common bacteria can break down tough plastics in water treatment systems and turn them into a food source. This discovery opens the door to new bacteria-based solutions to remove polluting plastics from water .
A biotechnological solution for the future?
This process offers a promising alternative for treating plastic pollution and also reveals how plastics evolve within water treatment systems. Wastewater is home to large amounts of microplastics that, with the help of these bacteria, can be reduced to more manageable particles.
The research conducted by the Northwestern team allows us to understand how these microorganisms degrade complex plastics and could lead to the development of technologies based on environmental bacteria to clean rivers, lakes and other bodies of water of plastic waste.
Furthermore, this breakthrough has important implications for the treatment of microplastics in wastewater , which is a growing problem globally. According to Ludmilla Aristilde, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which accounts for 12% of total plastic use worldwide , could be more easily degraded with the help of these bacteria.
Plastic-eating bacteria depends on an enzyme!
Aristilde’s team has discovered that without a particular enzyme, bacteria lose their ability to break down plastics , highlighting the importance of this specialized protein in the process. This type of research could mark the beginning of a new era in plastic waste management and environmental protection.
The study, which demonstrates for the first time that bacteria can degrade plastic polymers into tiny particles, known as nanoplastics, was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology . According to Aristilde, these bacteria secrete a key enzyme that breaks down the plastic into basic components, which they then use as a carbon source to grow.
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Source and internal photo: Northwestern University
Main photo: Shutterstock
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