Worm species that can eat plastic detected
1Worm species that can eat plastic detected
Australian scientists have discovered that a worm species can digest polystyrene, which is widely used in the plastics industry. It is thought that worms that eat polystyrene may play a key role in recycling plastic waste.
Scientists in Australia announced that they have discovered a type of worm that can digest polystyrene, which is widely used in the plastics industry.
According to the news on the Science Daily site, researchers from the Department of Molecular Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland revealed that the "Zophobas morio" worm species can consume polystyrene thanks to an enzyme in its gut.
The researcher, Dr. Chris Rinke and his team fed the worms with different types of products for three weeks.
It was observed that the worms fed with polystyrene used in the plastic industry survived and gained weight during this time.
After the metagenomic study, it was discovered that the worms can digest plastic thanks to an enzyme secreted by the bacteria in their intestines.
Noting that they will further their work on the enzyme, scientists believe that worms can play a key role in recycling plastic waste.
The research was published in the journal "Microbial Genomics."