Question

Explain about plastic eating bacteria.

Answer 1

1. In 2016, scientists from Japan tested different bacteria from a bottle recycling plant and found that Ideonellasakaiens is 201-F6 could digest the plastic used to make single-use drinks bottles that are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
2. The bacteria works by secreting an enzyme known as ‘PETase’, which breaks down plastic into smaller molecules.
3. These smaller molecules are then absorbed by the bacteria as a food source.
4. The scale of the bacteria breaking down plastics is much slower and will therefore not solve the crisis we are facing.