A research paper published June 9, 2022, shows that the larvae of Zophobas morio beetles, also called “superworms”, can digest polystyrene (Styrofoam), posing a possible solution to the increasing global problem of plastic waste.
According to the study, around 66 percent of the larvae successfully grow into beetles when on a diet of polystyrene, which shows that they can properly make use of the plastic. Christian Rinke, the co-author of the research paper, hypothesizes that since smaller beetle larvae such as waxworms and mealworms also have a good reputation of digesting plastic, superworms, which are much larger, will be able to digest more.
Styrofoam already takes up 30 percent of all landfills on Earth. Plastic waste is an increasing problem —14 million tons of it enter the ocean each year, damaging the ecosystems and taking up to 500 years to decompose, all the while releasing harmful greenhouse gases. “You cannot really escape plastic anymore,” Rinke says, “plastic waste is everywhere.”
Superworms may mark the beginning of a change, although there are several problems with this new solution. Developing the worms into a usable product will take time, since they’re not used to surviving in hot industrial conditions.
Andrew Ellington, a professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Texas, says, “When you find something on a beach or you find something in a worm gut, that’s great, but all the enzymes in that thing work pretty much under the conditions where you found it. And those may not be industrial conditions.”
In addition, after a diet of pure styrofoam, the superworms were shown to have less diverse microbiomes, which indicates that styrofoam is not healthy for them. Another solution was to feed the superworms styrofoam as well as food waste, which would improve the worms’ health, as well as solve the growing problem of excess food waste in Western countries.
Looking to the future, Rinke says the goal is to eliminate the need for superworms, isolate the enzymes used to digest polystyrene, and improve them with enzyme engineering, as well as to “upcycle” the plastic broken down by the enzymes into useful bioplastics.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/17/plastic-eating-superworm-garbage-crisis/
https://phys.org/news/2022-06-superworms-capable-munching-plastic.html
According to the study, around 66 percent of the larvae successfully grow into beetles when on a diet of polystyrene, which shows that they can properly make use of the plastic. Christian Rinke, the co-author of the research paper, hypothesizes that since smaller beetle larvae such as waxworms and mealworms also have a good reputation of digesting plastic, superworms, which are much larger, will be able to digest more.
Styrofoam already takes up 30 percent of all landfills on Earth. Plastic waste is an increasing problem —14 million tons of it enter the ocean each year, damaging the ecosystems and taking up to 500 years to decompose, all the while releasing harmful greenhouse gases. “You cannot really escape plastic anymore,” Rinke says, “plastic waste is everywhere.”
Superworms may mark the beginning of a change, although there are several problems with this new solution. Developing the worms into a usable product will take time, since they’re not used to surviving in hot industrial conditions.
Andrew Ellington, a professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Texas, says, “When you find something on a beach or you find something in a worm gut, that’s great, but all the enzymes in that thing work pretty much under the conditions where you found it. And those may not be industrial conditions.”
In addition, after a diet of pure styrofoam, the superworms were shown to have less diverse microbiomes, which indicates that styrofoam is not healthy for them. Another solution was to feed the superworms styrofoam as well as food waste, which would improve the worms’ health, as well as solve the growing problem of excess food waste in Western countries.
Looking to the future, Rinke says the goal is to eliminate the need for superworms, isolate the enzymes used to digest polystyrene, and improve them with enzyme engineering, as well as to “upcycle” the plastic broken down by the enzymes into useful bioplastics.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/17/plastic-eating-superworm-garbage-crisis/
https://phys.org/news/2022-06-superworms-capable-munching-plastic.html
