A Group Of University Of Malta Researchers Are Creating Microbes That Can Eat Through Single-Use Plastics
A group of researchers at the University of Malta are working on a unique answer to humanity’s addiction to single-use plastics: microbes that eat through plastics.
University lecturer and research scientist, Dr. Gabrielle Zammit is leading a team of both undergraduate and postgraduate students in concentrating their efforts on single-use plastic packaging.
This research, which is being funded by the Gasan Foundation, aims to find a way of reducing the lifetime of plastic in the environment after it is discarded, by breaking it down completely to leave only harmless molecules as a by-product.
The team is working with microbes which are naturally occurring and have not been genetically modified
Apart from the experiments conducted using these promising microorganisms mentioned above, the team is investigating how single-use plastics break down in soil and sea water, which will give a clearer understanding of the deterioration processes that occur due to naturally occurring microbial communities.
While the research has already yielded some positive results for simple plastic polymers, the challenge remains in breaking down the plastic that is sold commercially due to the additives added during the manufacturing process that make superior quality materials useful as packaging products.
The Gasan Foundation is currently supporting this initiative, which will ensure the completion of the initial phase of the research.
Tag someone who is going to love this
READ NEXT: The ‘No Straws’ Movement Grows Stronger As Burger King Malta Pledges To Stop Giving Out Single-Use Plastics
