Plastic eating microbes could reduce pollution in oceans, researchers say.
According to University of Western Australia researchers, certain microorganisms can degrade tiny plastic particles. The microbes could explain why plastic pollution hasn't increased as fast as previous estimates.
Other research has shown that bacteria eat plastics in landfills. Julia Reisser, one of the current study authors, said that finding marine microbes capable of degrading plastics could help control plastic pollution.
"Plastic biodegradation seems to happen at sea. I am excited about this because the 'plastic-eating' microbes could provide solutions for better waste disposal practices on land," Ms Reisser said in a news release.
"If you use terrestrial microbes, you need fresh water to grow them and the process can be very expensive," she said, according to ABC news."But if you find marine microbes, they are growing in saltwater and that might be a cheaper way (to reduce landfills)."
For the study, researchers used a scanning electron microscope at UWA's Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis to analyze floating plastic debris.
Researchers found that some microbes were using these bits of plastics as tiny boats to move around the water surface.
The discovery of microbial communities on marine plastic debris isn't new. In fact, researchers have known since the 1970s that these microplastics are home to life, Livescience reported.
Dr Jeremy Shaw, co-author of the study, said that silica-forming algae were weighing down microplastics. These algae are called diatoms, which are known to attach themselves to hard substrates such as rocks and vegetation. Plastic floating on oceans create perfect environment - complete with water and sunshine - for these microbes, according to Livescience.
Researchers are worried that organisms that feed on these plastic dwellers might be exposed to harmful toxins.
Also, plastic particles could harbor deadly bacteria and viruses and help them spread to other parts of the world.
The study is published in the journal PLOS One.