Technology Scientists hope new enzyme will 'eat' plastic pollution
A sperm whale that washed up on a beach in Spain had 64 pounds of plastic and waste in its stomach
This, say officials, is a concern not only because sperm whales are endangered, but also because it's another grim reminder of just how much plastic waste is being dumped into the ocean. Around 150 million tons of plastic are already floating in our oceans -- with an additional eight million tons entering the water each year, according to the World Economic Forum. A report, released last month, found 70% of marine litter is non-degradable plastic. And that figure is expected to triple within a decade.
Scientists have accidentally developed a plastic - eating enzyme that may be used to combat one of the world's worst pollution problems.
Scientists and engineers turn ocean plastic into new products. Synbio for bioremediation—fighting plastic pollution . Enzymes will be on no use for Plastic dumped in the environment and would be hugely expensive to produce.

Scientists have accidentally developed a plastic-eating enzyme that may be used to combat one of the world's worst pollution problems.
California has eight of 10 most polluted U.S. cities
Eight of the USA's 10 most polluted cities, when it comes to ozone pollution, are in California, according to the American Lung Association's annual 'State of the Air' report.Eight of the USA's 10 most polluted cities, in terms of ozone pollution, are in California, according to the American Lung Association's annual "State of the Air" report, released Wednesday.
The team hopes the discovery will lead to new ways of breaking down plastic , using either the bacteria themselves, or the two enzymes they use for the job. This could mean they would be useful for getting rid of polluting plastics in the environment.
“Our findings have opened a new door to solve the global plastic pollution problem,” co-author Wei-Min Wu, a senior research engineer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford, said in a statement. In the study, 100 mealworms ate between 34 and 39 milligrams of
Researchers from Britain's University of Portsmouth and the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) made the discovery while examining the structure of a natural enzyme found in a waste recycling center a few years ago in Japan.
They say the enzyme, Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6, is able to "eat" polyethylene terephthalate, PET, which was patented as a plastic in the 1940s and is used in millions of tons of plastic bottles.
Their aim was to study its structure, but they accidentally engineered an enzyme which was even better at breaking down PET plastics.
"We hoped to determine its structure to aid in protein engineering, but we ended up going a step further and accidentally engineered an enzyme with improved performance at breaking down these plastics," said NREL's lead researcher Gregg Beckham.
The Pacific Ocean has a plastic problem. Here's the plan to fix it
Environmental group will use floating nets to snag plastic debris.We've known about the existence of the patch since the mid-1980s but weren't quite sure about its size until a study published last March showed that it holds at least 79,000 tons of plastic and covers an area three times the size of France.
This new species of bacteria was called Ideonella sakaiensis, after the Japanese city of Sakai where Why not spray these plastic - eating bacteria around debris fields and let them eat all these horrific Whether scientists will ever use Ideonella sakaiensis to neutralize the existing plastic pollution or
The scientists are hoping their discovery could inspire new ways of dealing with plastic pollution , possibly through the use of genetic engineering. While six weeks is a long time to spend chowing down on one piece of plastic , transferring I. sakaiensis's enzyme -producing genes to E

The discovery could result in a recycling solution for millions of tons of plastic bottles made of PET, which currently persists for hundreds of years in the environment, the University of Portsmouth said on its website.
Pruitt to unveil controversial ‘transparency’ rule limiting what research EPA can use
The change would only allow the Environmental Protection Agency to consider studies for which the underlying data are available publicly.The rule, which Pruitt has described in interviews with select media over the past month, would only allow EPA to consider studies for which the underlying data are made available publicly. Advocates describe this approach as an advance for transparency, but critics say it would effectively block the agency from relying on long-standing, landmark studies linking air pollution and pesticide exposure to harmful health effects.
One of the biggest problems facing the earth, plastic pollution , could soon meet its match if students at Yale University are able to breed a recently discovered plastic - eating fungus on a large scale. Researchers were also able to isolate the enzyme responsible for decomposing the plastic .
Much of the pollution in the ocean is made of PET. But a team of researchers in Japan have identified a species of bacteria that is able to degrade plastic using two key enzymes that break down PET and use it to grow– essentially, the bacteria can “ eat ” plastic .
"Serendipity often plays a significant role in fundamental scientific research and our discovery here is no exception," said Professor John McGeehan, director of the Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences in the School of Biological Sciences at Portsmouth.
The enzyme can also degrade polyethylene furandicarboxylate, or PEF, a bio-based substitute for PET plastics that is being hailed as a replacement for glass beer bottles.
PEF plastics, although bio-based, are not biodegradable, and would still end up as waste in landfills and in the seas, the NREL said in a report on its website.
"Although the improvement is modest, this unanticipated discovery suggests that there is room to further improve these enzymes, moving us closer to a recycling solution for the ever-growing mountain of discarded plastics," said McGeehan.
The researchers, whose finding was published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, are now working on improving the enzyme further to allow it to be used industrially to break down plastics in a fraction of the time, the University of Portsmouth added.
UK mulls plan to ban plastic straws and cut waste
<p>Britain's government wants to take action to ban plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds — and is urging other Commonwealth nations to follow suit.</p>Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday that "plastic waste is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world." She told Commonwealth leaders meeting in London on Thursday that protecting the ocean environment is "central to our agenda," and urged the 53 member nations to sign up to the newly formed Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance.
A team of Japanese scientists has found a species of bacteria that eats the type of plastic found in most disposable water bottles. The discovery, published Thursday in the journal Science , could lead to new methods to manage the more than 50 million tons of this particular type of plastic produced
Scientists discover Caterpillar eats plastic . By AYO OLOWO • 9 months ago. It remains unclear if a single enzyme or a combination of molecules are responsible for degrading plastic . But biologists hope to identify and reproduce the active agent artificially.
The NREL underscored the urgency of the work, pointing out that 8 million metric tons of plastic waste, including PET bottles, enter the oceans each year, creating huge man-made islands of garbage.
"Experts estimate that by 2050, there will be as much waste plastic in the ocean by mass as there are fish," it said.
According to a three-year study published in Scientific Reports last month, a huge, swirling pile of trash in the Pacific Ocean, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is growing faster than expected and is now three times the size of France, more than double the size of Texas.
"Few could have predicted that in the space of 50 years, single-use plastics such as drink bottles would be found washed up on beaches across the globe," said McGeehan.
"We can all play a significant part in dealing with the plastic problem," he added. "But the scientific community who ultimately created these 'wonder-materials' must now use all the technology at their disposal to develop real solutions."
Earth Day has embraced hysteria and abandoned science .
Sunday is Earth Day, a celebration conceived by then-U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson and first held in 1970 as a “symbol of environmental responsibility and stewardship.” In the spirit of the time, it was a touchy-feely, consciousness-raising, New Age experience. Most activities were organized at the grassroots level.In recent years, however, Earth Day has devolved into an occasion for professional environmental activists and alarmists to warn of apocalypse, dish anti-technology dirt, and proselytize.Passion and zeal now trump science, and provability takes a back seat to plausibility.
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Scientists develop plastic-eating enzyme
It is hoped the breakthrough could help solve the global pollution crisis… READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2018/04/17/scientists-develop-plastic-eating-enzyme What are the top stories...
Breaking News - Recycling hope for plastic-hungry enzyme
Recycling hope for plastic-hungry enzymeScientists have improved a naturally occurring enzyme which can digest some of our most commonly polluting plastics.PET, the strong plastic commonly...
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Scientists have accidentally developed a plastic - eating enzyme that may be used to combat one of the world's worst pollution problems.
Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting biodegradable - phys.orgScientists and engineers turn ocean plastic into new products. Synbio for bioremediation—fighting plastic pollution . Enzymes will be on no use for Plastic dumped in the environment and would be hugely expensive to produce.
Bacteria found to eat PET plastics could help do the | New Scientist - www.newscientist.comThe team hopes the discovery will lead to new ways of breaking down plastic , using either the bacteria themselves, or the two enzymes they use for the job. This could mean they would be useful for getting rid of polluting plastics in the environment.
Scientists find worms can safely eat the plastic in our garbage - www.sciencealert.com“Our findings have opened a new door to solve the global plastic pollution problem,” co-author Wei-Min Wu, a senior research engineer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford, said in a statement. In the study, 100 mealworms ate between 34 and 39 milligrams of
Plastic - Eating Bacteria Discovered in Japan Could Solve the Problem - themindunleashed.comThis new species of bacteria was called Ideonella sakaiensis, after the Japanese city of Sakai where Why not spray these plastic - eating bacteria around debris fields and let them eat all these horrific Whether scientists will ever use Ideonella sakaiensis to neutralize the existing plastic pollution or
Scientists Have Found a New Bacteria That Eats Plastic | Mental Floss - mentalfloss.comThe scientists are hoping their discovery could inspire new ways of dealing with plastic pollution , possibly through the use of genetic engineering. While six weeks is a long time to spend chowing down on one piece of plastic , transferring I. sakaiensis's enzyme -producing genes to E
Fungus Discovered in Rainforest Capable Of Eating Plastic Pollution - themindunleashed.comOne of the biggest problems facing the earth, plastic pollution , could soon meet its match if students at Yale University are able to breed a recently discovered plastic - eating fungus on a large scale. Researchers were also able to isolate the enzyme responsible for decomposing the plastic .
Scientists Found a Bacteria Than Can ' Eat ' Plastic | Time - time.comMuch of the pollution in the ocean is made of PET. But a team of researchers in Japan have identified a species of bacteria that is able to degrade plastic using two key enzymes that break down PET and use it to grow– essentially, the bacteria can “ eat ” plastic .
Newly discovered bacteria can eat plastic bottles - phys.orgA team of Japanese scientists has found a species of bacteria that eats the type of plastic found in most disposable water bottles. The discovery, published Thursday in the journal Science , could lead to new methods to manage the more than 50 million tons of this particular type of plastic produced
Solution to plastic -bag pollution ? Scientists discover Caterpillar eats - kokomansion.comScientists discover Caterpillar eats plastic . By AYO OLOWO • 9 months ago. It remains unclear if a single enzyme or a combination of molecules are responsible for degrading plastic . But biologists hope to identify and reproduce the active agent artificially.