Plastic-Eating Bacteria Could Revolutionize Battle Against Pollution

Japanese scientists have discovered a bacteria that could degrade the plastic used used to make water bottles, long considered a non-biodegradable form of waste.
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Plastic-Eating Bacteria Could Revolutionize Battle Against Pollution
Empty plastic bottles are seen piled up by Lebanese activists in order to be recycled, on August 28, 2015, on Beirut's Martyrs Square. (JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images)
Jonathan Zhou
3/14/2016
Updated:
3/14/2016

Japanese scientists have discovered a bacteria that could break down the plastic used used to make water bottles, long considered a non-biodegradable form of waste. 

The new bacteria uses two enzymes to break down Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)—used in making plastic water bottles, clothing, and other products—into CO2 and water. 

The discovery, first published in the journal Science, could herald a revolutionary breakthrough in recycling. 

“If we can make use of the bacterium, we will be able to realize a recycling method that can be practiced with minimal energy and is also eco-friendly,” Professor Kohei Oda, the lead author in the study, told the Asabi Shimbun. 

The bacteria was observed breaking a thin layer of PET after 6 weeks in a lab at 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The breakdown is a two-step process, where one enzyme dissolves PET into an intermediary substance, which is then broken into more rudimentary molecular blocks, which eventually became CO2 and water. 

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Plastic is a major contributor to pollution in the world. Americans throw away 35 billion plastic water bottles per year, according to EcoWatch.