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Scientists Develop Artificial Worm Gut to Break Down Plastics
A team of scientists from NTU Singapore has developed an artificial ‘worm gut’ to break down plastics. This offers hope for a nature-inspired method to tackle the global plastic pollution problem.
Overcame the Slow Feeding Rate and Worm Maintenance:
By feeding worms with plastics and cultivating microbes found in their guts, researchers have demonstrated a new method to accelerate plastic biodegradation. The team included scientists from NTU’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE).
Zophobas atratus worms are known for their nutritional value. It is the larvae of the darkling beetle commonly sold as pet food and is known as ‘superworms’. However, their use in plastics processing has been impractical due to the slow rate of feeding and worm maintenance.
NTU scientists have now demonstrated a way to overcome these challenges by isolating the worm’s gut bacteria. The bacteria are used to do the job without the need for large scale worm breeding.
Source:omnexus.specialchem/Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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