American Scientist: Use Synthetic Bacteria To Solve The Problem Of Plastic Pollution,

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American scientists have found that a combination of bacteria can effectively turn plastic waste into useful compounds. These bacteria can help to deal with the growing problem of plastic pollution, and produce valuable chemicals and products, such as adhesives, insulators and nylon. Relevant research was recently published in Nature Communication.

Lu Ting from the University of Illinois at Champaign and James from MIT Collins and colleagues designed two genetically modified strains of soil bacteria Pseudomonas putida for upgrading the most common plastic polyethylene terephthalate. Each strain can decompose and process the two products of chemical plastic decomposition - terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol.

It was found that the efficiency of treating two products with two strains was higher than that of using one strain alone. These bacteria further upgraded and utilized plastics to convert them into biodegradable polymers such as polyhydroxyalkanoate and muconate, which can be used to synthesize polyurethane and adipic acid. Polyurethane is used in the production of insulators, foams, coatings and adhesives, while adipic acid can be used to make nylon.

These findings suggest that the transformation of microbial communities may be a promising and effective platform to promote polymer upgrading and environmental sustainability. In addition, the researchers believe that the concepts and strategies behind them may also be applied to other types of plastics.