Wednesday, September 30, 2015

endgadget- mealworms convert Styrofoam waste into usable soil

Mealworms convert Styrofoam waste into usable soil

Researchers have found a scourge for the 33 million tons of plastic dumped each year in the US: mealworms. A team from Stanford and China's Beihang University found that the beetle larvae stay perfectly healthy eating just Styrofoam, which is normally considered non-biodegradable. Better still, the worms convert the plastic to CO2 and waste that's safe to use as soil for crops. The scientists were as surprised by the discovery as you might be. "There's a possibility of really important research coming out of bizarre places," said Stanford professor Craig Criddle. "This is a shock."
Mealworms don't have some kind of magic digestive system, of course. Earlier researchhas showed that microorganisms in the stomachs of Indian mealmoths can digest the polyethylene plastic used in garbage bags. The scientists now plan to study such bacteria to see whether they can biodegrade plastics used in automotive components and microbeads that pollute water supplies. The goal is to eventually cut out the middleman ("middleworm"?) and isolate the bioenzymes used by microorganisms to break down the plastics. That could result in new methods of reducing plastic waste that's already in the environment, and new types of bio-plastics that won't accumulate on land or at sea.
Good news, Engadget peoples! We’re creating a single login system for both our product database and comments. The first part of that transition is a new commenting system, launching on September 30th. All your old comments will eventually (not immediately) migrate with you.
447 people listening

DoxyCycling
DoxyCycling
I see this as being a double win since mealworms are edible. Effectively plastic can be turned into soil AND food simultaneously.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered