Cool, didn’t know that. Now just hope they don’t make us sick or we’re really screwed. With all the microplastics in our bodies they’re going to be everywhere.
Toxicity isn’t as simple as “toxic = toxic + toxic.” While some byproducts of plastic breakdown are toxic, the bacteria are further dissolving those as well, going until they get glucose, as they wouldn’t be able to eat it if that wasn’t the end product. There are probably still some toxic byproducts that get excreted rather than broken down, but plastic breakdown already releases toxins under normal conditions, so that’s already a problem we’re going to have to tackle. If these bacteria can get past the first issue of breaking it down in the first place, then that’s a net positive.
It’s a part of a potential solution, but right now if you dump a bunch of plastivores in a trash pit instead of a bunch of plastic in a hole that won’t break down from a thousand years you get a toxic slurry capable of entering groundwater supplies.
Of course, micro plastics are also doing that, so pick your poison I suppose.
It probably won’t be that long before some organism evolves the ability to digest plastic.
Already exists, actually. Just not widespread yet
Cool, didn’t know that. Now just hope they don’t make us sick or we’re really screwed. With all the microplastics in our bodies they’re going to be everywhere.
The waste is toxic. Because the input is toxic, but locked into relatively stable polymers, until something breaks it down.
Toxicity isn’t as simple as “toxic = toxic + toxic.” While some byproducts of plastic breakdown are toxic, the bacteria are further dissolving those as well, going until they get glucose, as they wouldn’t be able to eat it if that wasn’t the end product. There are probably still some toxic byproducts that get excreted rather than broken down, but plastic breakdown already releases toxins under normal conditions, so that’s already a problem we’re going to have to tackle. If these bacteria can get past the first issue of breaking it down in the first place, then that’s a net positive.
Yeah, if “toxic + toxic = toxic” made sense then table salt would be extremely dangerous.
Sodium = extremely volatile and usually explosive metal when interacting with water (more than half of what makes us)
Chlorine = gas at room temperature that can kill you in minutes at concentrations of 1000ppm or more
Sodium + Chlorine = Sodium Chloride = delicious table salt that makes food yummy and helps power our neurons
Thinking about it, we work on a whole bunch of highly volatile chemicals bound to a bit less volatile ones for stability.
We’re biochemical foundries. It’s pretty damn cool.
It’s a part of a potential solution, but right now if you dump a bunch of plastivores in a trash pit instead of a bunch of plastic in a hole that won’t break down from a thousand years you get a toxic slurry capable of entering groundwater supplies.
Of course, micro plastics are also doing that, so pick your poison I suppose.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimes_of_the_Future_(2022_film)