[Sea and River Technology Talk] The Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences discovers marine microbial communities capable of effectively degrading plastic waste
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According to a report by Qilu Net·Lightning News on April 27, reporters learned from the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that, after five years of research, the institute’s scientific team has discovered marine microorganisms capable of effectively breaking down plastic waste. These originally harmful plastic wastes can become “food” for these marine microorganisms, enabling green and environmentally friendly biological degradation. “This is actually plastic that has not undergone any treatment; it is the polyethylene plastic that we use frequently. ”At the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Researcher Sun Chaomin showed reporters two different types of plastic; the plastic that had been inoculated with marine microorganisms had already been broken down into fragments. Sun Chaomin, a researcher at the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said, “We identified this effective microbial community; after 2 to 3 weeks, we could observe its degradation effect, and after about 4 weeks, it could be completely broken down into fragments.” ”
How were these marine microorganisms that feed on plastic discovered? It all dates back to 5 years ago. Since 2016, a research team led by Sun Chaomin, a researcher at the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has collected thousands of plastic waste samples from the waters off Qingdao. Gao Rongrong, a Ph.D. from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained: “After returning, we found that microorganisms had colonized several of those waste materials. We then isolated, cultured, and screened these colonizing microorganisms, and discovered a microbial community capable of breaking down plastic waste; subsequent experiments were conducted on this community.” ”
Over the past five years, researchers have identified 5 types of dominant marine microbial communities. By combining different communities together and creating artificial mixtures, they have developed a community that can coexist stably and effectively degrade plastic waste; this mixed community has a particular tendency to degrade polyethylene plastic. Sun Chaomin said, “We found that it actually opens the door to a new material – polyethylene plastic. Its raw materials are quite common; for example, they can be found in agricultural plastic films or single-use plastic shopping bags. However, this material is very difficult to degrade. At present, our research level is among the best in China.” ” Gao Rongrong told the reporters that they have achieved green and environmentally friendly, efficient biological remediation. Microorganisms are used to repair plastic waste in the environment; they utilize plastic as an energy source for their growth, breaking it down into various substances needed for their own growth, and ultimately converting the plastic into products such as carbon dioxide and water that are completely harmless to the environment.
Leverage nature’s own purification capabilities to address human-caused pollution of the oceans. To artificially cultivate and purify the microbial community again... In any case, a salute to the scientists dedicated to environmental protection.
At least it’s better than undercooked eggs\ud83d\udc4d
China is a major producer of plastic products; if this research is successful, it will be beneficial for reducing white waste
Such major issues can only be studied by experts; in fact, it’s even difficult to say whether the experts’ understanding is correct, as this relates to the ecological balance of the oceans. Perhaps humans have overestimated their own capabilities; to nature, they may be utterly insignificant.