Some naturally existing lake bacteria grow quicker and more efficiently on the leftovers of plastic bags than on natural materials such as leaves and twigs, according to a study of 29 European lakes. Bacteria degrade the carbon molecules in plastic to utilize as food for growth.
Bacteria can remove plastic remains
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According to the researchers, supplementing waterways with specific kinds of bacteria might be a natural approach to eliminating plastic waste from the environment.
The effect is dramatic: when plastic pollution increased the overall carbon content in lake water by just 4%, the rate of bacterial growth more than doubled.
The findings show that plastic pollution in lakes is 'priming' bacteria for rapid development, as the bacteria not only break down the plastic but are also better able to break down other natural carbon compounds in the lake.
Lake bacteria were discovered to prefer plastic-derived carbon compounds over natural carbon compounds. According to the researchers, this is because the carbon compounds in plastics are simpler for bacteria to break down and consume as food.
The experts are quick to point out that this does not excuse continued plastic contamination. Some of the chemicals included in plastics can be hazardous to the environment, especially in high quantities.
The research was published in the journal Nature Communications today.
It's almost as though the bacteria's hunger is being stimulated by plastic waste.
The bacteria eat the plastic first because it's simple to break down, and then they're better able to break down some of the more challenging food the natural organic materials in the lake, according to senior author Dr. Andrew Tanentzap of the University of Cambridge's Department of Plant Sciences.
Plastic carbon compounds were found to be generated from additives peculiar to plastic goods, such as adhesives and softeners.
In addition, bacteria eliminated more plastic pollution in lakes with less distinct natural carbon compounds, according to the current study.
This is due to the fact that the bacteria in the lake water had fewer additional food sources.
The findings will aid in prioritizing lakes where pollution control is most critical.
If a lake has a lot of plastic pollution but not a lot of bacterial variety and natural organic compounds, its ecology will be more prone to destruction.
Between August and September 2019, 29 lakes in Scandinavia were sampled for the study. These lakes vary in latitude, depth, area, average surface temperature, and the diversity of dissolved carbon-based molecules to analyze a variety of situations.
The researchers broke up plastic bags from four big UK retailers and shook them in water until carbon compounds were released.
Glass bottles were filled with lake water at each lake. To reflect the amount of carbon leached from plastics into the environment, a small quantity of 'plastic water was added to half of these, and the same amount of distilled water was added to the rest. The bacterial activity was assessed in each bottle after 72 hours in the dark.
Plastic-eating bacteria might one day assist to reduce the 14 million tons of plastic that enter our seas each year.
Plastic pollution has a negative influence on marine ecosystems and can be harmful to human health.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, once plastic reaches the water, it can choke and trap creatures (IUCN).
Microplastics are also consumed by many marine animals, including those that are preyed upon by other species and those that people collect for food.
According to the IUCN, if swallowed, microplastics can leach the hazardous pollutants that have accumulated on their surface into the body of the organism that has devoured them.
Toxins from marine life can build and move up the food chain into humans anytime we eat something that has been taken from the sea.
On land, the bulk of plastic winds up in landfills or is burned in incinerators, which emit hazardous gases. According to the BBC, just 16% of all plastic produced is recycled to manufacture new plastic.
According to the journal Science, Japanese scientists discovered a stunning discovery in 2016 that might help combat the world's plastic crisis.
Scientists discovered a kind of bacteria "eating" its way through plastic bottles outside of a recycling center.
Bacteria normally spend their time absorbing decaying organic debris, but Ideonella sakaiensis has acquired a preference for a form of plastic known as polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
