Plastic-eating Bacteria

March 20, 2017

by: Janet Aslin

Pollution stemming from plastic products, especially in the oceans, is fast becoming a huge environmental concern. According to an article in EcoWatch, in Los Angeles alone, a staggering 10 metric tons of plastic in one form or another are carried into the Pacific Ocean each day. Approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used in the world annually—and fifty percent of them are just used once before they are thrown away. It takes between 500 and 1,000 years for plastic to degrade.

Students from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev believe they may have a solution to this rapidly growing problem. A multi-disciplinary group of students, calling themselves Plasticure-BGU, has proposed a genetically-modified bacterium that would degrade plastic by “eating” it. In this case, specifically polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) which is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family found in a myriad of plastic products. The team took their idea to a recent competition sponsored by the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation where they received a gold medal and were also selected as one of the top three finalists in the “Best Environmental Project” category.

After their successful presentation of the project, the team returned to Israel to continue their research and development. In the words of team member, Tomer Shary, “We believe in our project and its ability to provide a real and relevant solution to the growing problem of plastic accumulation and contamination and are pleased to have the opportunity to continue the research after the competition.”

Source: Bridges for Peace

Photo Credit: Rich Carey / Shutterstock