
Newly discovered bacteria can eat plastic bottles - ytNumbers
http://phys.org/news/2016-03-newly-bacteria-plastic-bottles.html
======
unprepare
From another article on the same topic[1]:

>The Kyoto researchers identified the gene in the bacteria's DNA that is
responsible for the PET-digesting enzyme. They then were able to manufacture
more of the enzyme and then demonstrate that PET could be broken down with the
enzyme alone.

Sounds like this is quite a big step forward in our ability to reduce plastics
to more base elements.

Has anyone caught what the exact output of this process is? Some waste must be
excreted by these microbes, right?

[1] [http://phys.org/news/2016-03-plastic-munching-bacteria-
fuel-...](http://phys.org/news/2016-03-plastic-munching-bacteria-fuel-
recycling-revolution.html#jCp)

~~~
x5n1
Well if these genes exist somewhere, and we commercialize them. Is it not a
matter of time until these genes become more common in bacteria in general and
then we can no longer use plastics, I guess then we would have to put some
antibacterial in plastics too. Like say a long time period.

~~~
forgotmysn
I'm not a biologist, but I don't think genes are contagious

~~~
x5n1
Look up horizontal transfer.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_gene_transfer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_gene_transfer)

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paulmalenke
Reminds me of this article.

Teen Decomposes Plastic Bag in Three Months:
[http://www.wired.com/2008/05/teen-
decomposes/](http://www.wired.com/2008/05/teen-decomposes/)

~~~
sveme
I know that HN is not reddit and these sort of remarks are frowned upon, but
the URL is hilarious, in a creepy way.

(Note to self: when using "talking" URLs in a future web app, use the whole
article title, not just a snippet)

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kazinator
> _Mincer said: "I don't see how microbes degrading plastics is any better
> than putting plastic bottles in a recycling bin so they can be melted down
> to make new ones."_

How it's better is that recycling is really just downcycling. Recycled
plastics are of worse quality and are put to inferior uses. Plastic bottles
that are recycled are not only melted but also shredded. Over multiple
recyclings, the shredding reduces the molecular length and therefore qualities
like tensile strength. The mixing of different plastics also degrades quality.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downcycling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downcycling)

So then this bacterial approach provides a potential exit path for plastic
that has been recycled too many times to be of any decent use any more.

It sounds like these particular bacteria do a better job of breaking down
plastic than what happens to "biodegradable" plastic when it is left out in
the elements namely turning into "plastic dust" that hangs around.

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mason240
Everyone seems to see this as a good thing, but think of terrible it would be
if all the plastic items around you decomposed like wood. Sure, it would be
beneficial for garbage and litter to "go away," but just think of how much
more plastic we would need to use if every plastic item needed to be replaced
every 10 years. I think it might have a significant impact on recycling as
well - "rotten" plastic might be unrecylable, leading to even more use of
virgin (?) plastic.

~~~
Retric
Dry wood lasts a lot longer than 10 years. Presumably, dry plastic would also
last a very long time.

A paint can also protect stuff for a long time.

~~~
mason240
Except "not rotting or corroding in wet conditions" is one of the reasons
plastic is so useful.

~~~
Retric
People also used to use wooden boats.

~~~
mason240
Ok? They switched because plastic is a far superior material.

I never have to worry about my plastic canoe rotting, weighs half of what a
wooden one does, and is more flexible when scraping rock.

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hanniabu
I'm a bit confused. In the article it has these 2 statements:

> "...enzyme breaks it down even further, providing the bacteria with carbon
> and energy to grow."

> "I don't see how microbes degrading plastics is any better than putting
> plastic bottles in a recycling bin so they can be melted down to make new
> ones."

Is it degrading it to basic elements such as carbon, or is the bacteria just
breaking the plastic down into smaller, microscopic pieces? If the bacteria
actually breaks the plastic down to base components, then that is undoubtedly
different than melting and recycling the plastic. There could be incubation
centers that focus on reproducing this bacteria at mass scale and then
releasing them into dumps to break down the plastic that is mixed in with the
garbage.

~~~
Retric
What's the issue with having plastic in dumps? IMO, they dumps are one of the
few carbon sinks humans actually use. Releasing that carbon seems to be a
waste.

~~~
hanniabu
We can't keep creating new garbage dumps, eventually we'll run out of land. If
we can decompose plastic, let all the organics and paper based garbage
decompose, then you have a lot more space for new garbage to be added.

~~~
phpnode
I mean you're technically correct, but how long will that take? The earth is
_large_ and we have not covered even a fraction of 1% of it with landfill.
It's unlikely that we'd actually run out of space in practice, it'd take
thousands of years. Not that I condone the idea.

~~~
Retric
Not really, today's dumps are tomorrows mines. If we really don't want to keep
this stuff over a very long time scale we could use a seduction zone and send
our junk into earth mantle.

PS: Trash is matter, to generate cubic miles of the stuff we need cubic miles
of raw materials.

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johnm1019
Would it be possible to use a spray rich in these bacteria (and maybe other
nutrients?) onto that island of plastic at sea?

~~~
amatus
The article mentions the bacteria works at "a steady 86 degrees Fahrenheit."
It may work slower or not at all at Pacific Ocean temperatures.

~~~
onetimePete
may work in a animals stomache?

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restalis
Exactly. They found it living in plastic eating bugs and it will do good for
say - sea turtles, which mistakenly eat plastic and choke. Just force the
turtles to ingest a pill with Ideonella Sakaiensis and if they'll be lucky -
they'll get new symbiotic pals!

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nataliam511
Anyone else concerned that by helping this new bacteria thrive it will set off
a series of unforeseen side effects?

~~~
wyldfire
My username is a reference to Project Wildfire from "The Andromeda Strain". In
the novel, Andromeda mutates into something that can consume rubber -- the
same materials used throughout the world as seals against contagion.

So, yeah, if life imitates art it could get pretty interesting.

~~~
CamperBob2
Can't forget this classic work of speculative fiction either:
[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2368220.Mutant_59](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2368220.Mutant_59)

 _In the Coburg Street control room of the London Underground system, there
was a full emergency... In a dozen tunnels, trains ground down to a halt.
Hordes of terrified commuters made their way anxiously along dark, musty
tunnels to the lights and safety of the next station. There were minor
explosions, fires, and the failure of a million wires and cables. As the
dissolution of plastic proceeded and accelerated in rate, the elegant order of
the system gradually turned into complete chaos..._

~~~
Turing_Machine
I'm glad I'm not the only person who remembers that one.

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kaonashi
Doesn't really say what's left over after the plastic gets broken down.

~~~
appleflaxen
CO2 is a safe bet.

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dsmithatx
Sounds like a great discovery until you get to the end of the article

> Mincer said the study was impressive and did a good job showing that these
> organisms were eating the plastic pretty well.

> However, he said it was not immediately clear whether or not it would help
> keep plastics out of the ocean, for example. "When I think it through, I
> don't really know where it gets us," he said. "

>I don't see how microbes degrading plastics is any better than putting
plastic bottles in a recycling bin so they can be melted down to make new
ones."

~~~
awda
> I don't see how microbes degrading plastics is any better than putting
> plastic bottles in a recycling bin so they can be melted down to make new
> ones."

You don't have to waste money and energy sorting bottles out of the trash if
you can just dump a bunch of this bacteria in your landfill.

~~~
dsmithatx
The comment you are responding was what the scientists in the article
concluded, not something I was saying.

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jonstokes
My first thought when I read this headline was, "Thank God. We're going to
need this in weaponized form when the robots take over." Next up, bacteria
that eats carbon fiber...

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pavel_lishin
Reminds me a bit of one of the plot points of the Ringworld novels. Our world
runs on plastic; I wonder what would happen if a massively successful plastic-
eating bacteria took off.

~~~
ams6110
I also seem to recall a part of "Andromeda Strain" where bacteria were eating
anything made of rubber?

~~~
Ericson2314
A microbe species from a hitherto undiscovered kingdom, and a synthetic
compound used for many of the same applications as rubber. But otherwise, yes
:).

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xivzgrev
Jeff Goldblum has something to say.

"Life, uh, always finds a way"

The danger of humans is whether we give life enough time.

