{"id":74462,"date":"2023-01-27T09:44:01","date_gmt":"2023-01-27T08:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/?p=74462"},"modified":"2023-01-26T12:47:30","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T11:47:30","slug":"bacteria-plastic-nioz-laboratory-experiment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/bacteria-plastic-nioz-laboratory-experiment\/","title":{"rendered":"Bacteria eats plastic"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In a laboratory experiment at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Marine Research, it was proven that the bacterium Rhodococcus ruber eats and digests plastic. Especially for dealing with plastic in the world's oceans, the bacterium could be part of the solution.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Based on a model study with plastic in artificial seawater in the lab, PhD student Maaike Goudriaan calculated that bacteria can break down about one per cent of the fed plastic per year into CO2<\/sub> and other harmless substances<\/strong>. \u201eBut,\u201c Goudriaan emphasises, \u201ethis is certainly not a solution to the problem of the plastic soup in our oceans<\/strong>. It is, however, another part of the answer to the question of where all the \u201amissing plastic\u2018 in the oceans has gone.\u201c<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Goudriaan had a special plastic manufactured especially for these experiments with a distinct form of carbon (13<\/sup>C) in it. When she fed that plastic to bacteria after pretreatment with \u201esunlight\u201c - a UV lamp - in a bottle of simulated seawater, she saw that special version of carbon appear as CO2<\/sub>\u00a0above the water<\/strong>. \u201eThe treatment with UV light was necessary because we already know that sunlight partially breaks down plastic into bite-sized chunks for bacteria,\u201c the researcher explains.<\/p>

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(Image: NIOZ) <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201eThis is the first time we have proven in this way that bacteria actually digest plastic into CO2<\/sub>\u00a0and other molecules<\/strong>,Goudriaan states. It was already known that the bacterium Rhodococcus ruber can form a so-called biofilm on plastic in nature. It had also been measured that plastic disappears under that biofilm<\/strong>. \u201eBut now we have really demonstrated that the bacteria actually digest the plastic.\u201c<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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When Goudriaan calculates the total breakdown of plastic into CO2<\/sub>, she estimates that the bacteria can break down about one per cent of the available plastic per year<\/strong>.<\/p>

\u201eThat's probably an underestimate. We only measured the amount of carbon-13 in CO2<\/sub>, so not in the other breakdown products of the plastic. There will certainly be\u00a013<\/sup>C in several other molecules, but it's hard to say what part of that was broken down by the UV light and what part was digested by the bacteria.\u201c<\/p>

Maaike Goudriaan<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Even though marine microbiologist Goudriaan is very excited about the plastic-eating bacteria, she stresses that microbial digestion is not a solution to the huge problem of all the plastic floating on and in our oceans<\/strong>.<\/p>

\u201eThese experiments are mainly a proof of principle. I see it as one piece of the jigsaw, in the issue of where all the plastic that disappears into the oceans stays. If you try to trace all our waste, a lot of plastic is lost. Digestion by bacteria could possibly provide part of the explanation.\u201c\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>

To discover whether \u2018wild\u2019 bacteria also eat plastic \u2018in the wild\u2019, follow-up research needs to be done. Goudriaan already did some pilot experiments with real sea water and some sediment<\/strong> that she had collected from the Wadden Sea floor.<\/p>

\u201eThe first results of these experiments hints at plastic being degraded, even in nature. A new PhD student will have to continue that work. Ultimately, of course, you hope to calculate how much plastic in the oceans really is degraded by bacteria. But much better than cleaning up, is prevention. And only we humans can do that.\u201c<\/p>

Maaike Goudriaan<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>

Source: <\/em>NIOZ<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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