By: Kevin Li
Scientists and researchers across the world are currently studying a new “superworm” that can survive on plastic. While the Earth’s landfill crisis has worsened every year, a solution may not be too far away.
The larvae of the darkling beetle, referred to as “superworms,” may be relatively small in size, but they are a potential key to solving the global environmental crisis of excess trash. These superworms are not just content to eat plastic–they can sustain themselves with it too.
Scientists from the journal of Microbial Genomics stated that the superworms’ feces had undergone a change from light brown to white, indicating that Styrofoam, scientifically known as polystyrene, had been digested through their systems. Furthermore, the scientists discovered that superworms that relied on a diet of Styrofoam remained active throughout the whole study, compared to the starved group which regularly took extended breaks.
As the global disaster of plastic pollution grows direr by the day, these superworms become more valuable than ever. “The world is facing a plastic crisis. Each year, half of all plastic designed for single use — things like bottles, Styrofoam cups and shopping bags — become trash, clogging up landfills and decomposing slowly while releasing noxious greenhouse gases,” the U.N. Environment Program said. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, more than 14 million tons of plastic end up in water every year, endangering marine habitats. And, according to researchers from Saint Louis University, of the total landfill space in the world, Styrofoam takes up about 30 percent of garbage. To make matters worse, “Polystyrene fills landfills, where it can often take 500 years to break down and decompose,” Pranshu Verma, journalist of The Washington Times, wrote.
While superworms receive all the publicity, scientists are more interested in the enzymes they produce, rather than in the critters themselves. A liquid solution made with the superworm enzyme would be able to dispose of Styrofoam much faster than 500 years of decomposition. Unfortunately, Andrew Ellington, a professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, stated that the reasons why society hasn’t been using these enzymes as a solution are because they currently cannot perform under industrial conditions where it may be too hot.
Scientists gave an estimate of only 5-10 years before superworms can become used in industrial environments and take down the mountains of garbage society has piled up.
Link to article: This plastic eating ‘superworm’ could help solve the garbage crisis – The Washington Post.pdf