Plastic-eating marine bacteria may be answer to pollution problem

Chinese researchers have discovered a marine bacteria that is capable of efficiently degrading plastic waste.

A research team in Qingdao located in eastern China’s Shandong province, said the bacteria had the potential to be an answer to a major pollution problem on the planet.

According to a report in the Chinadaily.com, the research team started its study in 2016 and eventually discovered a marine bacterial community that was capable of colonising and degrading polyethylene terephthalate, commonly known as PET and polyethylene, or PE.

While the plastic-eating qualities of the bacteria were known to the scientific community, it was the first time a direct link to (PE) had been established.

Led by Sun Chaomin, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oceanology, the team said it had added a combination of bacteria to samples of PE and PET that worked.

The researchers said repeated tests showed that a particular combination of three types of bacteria caused damage to the PE film.

Their study was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials on April 23.

Plastic waste has become one of the most common form of marine debris and presents a growing global pollution problem.

It has been reported that between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes of plastic waste end up in the seas every year, causing concern about its effect on oceans, wildlife and humans.

Of the various types of plastic waste, PET and PE makes up the majority of the plastic pollution.

The research team said the study showed that a stable marine bacterial community can efficiently degrade PET and PE, and this provides insights into plastic degradation pathways and their associated biological processes.

It also promises to pave the way for the development of microbial products that can gobble up plastic waste.