2024/03/12 by Charles Benjamin Middleton
#UV-treated polypropylene #adipic acid #bacterial research #escherichia coli #genetic engineering #ideonella sakaiensis #plastic breakdown #plastic contamination #plastic eating bacteria #plastic pollution #plastic waste #polyethylene terephthalate
paper · doi:10.57898/biosci.189
Plastic pollution is a significant problem globally, which contaminates oceans and surrounding environments, posing huge risks to agricultural communities, ecosystems, and their inhabitants. The collective impact of this pollution also has negative consequences for human health. Climate change is also impacted by plastic pollution, with 3.4% of greenhouse gas emissions generated from the carbon footprint throughout the entire life cycle of plastic production to waste. In this article, a short review of plastic-eating bacterial species is discussed, and the underlying benefits and ethical implications that may arise from their introduction into our ecosystems. However, it should be noted that the quantity of plastic waste in comparison to the enormous quantities of bacteria needed to degrade all plastic waste produced is not viable and may be a significant limitation. The risks of releasing such large quantities of bacteria into the environment mean that the use of these bacteria should only be used under controlled conditions, i.e., not released into the environment freely, and in conjunction with other plastic waste reduction methods such as education, change in manufacturing materials and methods.