A team of researchers from the Helmholtz Centenaries for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany have identified a new strain of soil bacteria, named pseudomonas bacteria (Jordan Davison, 2020).
This type of bacterium has been found to feed on polyurethane, a type of commonly-used plastic which can be found in several everyday products from furniture to packaging, textiles, thermal insulation, coatings, adhesives, sealants, and even footwear (Mark Tool & Rubber, N/a; American Chemistry Council, N/a).
Although this type of plastic has many uses, it has been found to be significantly harder to recycle and reuse than others as it cannot be melted, nor can the majority of the bacterium survive on polyurethane. This made the discovery of this bacteria very unexpected, indicating that there is a strain of bacteria that can not only breakdown plastic that is harmful to the environment, but also use the plastic to fuel the process (Bryan Lynn, 2020; Jordan Davison, 2020).
With this new finding, we are now much closer to finding a solution to plastic waste through the use of bacteria or even living organisms that can be used to help biodegrade plastics. This is an essential process to help clean the earth.
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