{"id":232903,"date":"2023-12-19T06:01:03","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T06:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trueactivist.com\/?p=232903"},"modified":"2023-12-19T06:01:03","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T06:01:03","slug":"scientists-develop-plastic-bottle-eating-bacteria-and-transform-them-into-useful-liquids-t1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trueactivist.com\/scientists-develop-plastic-bottle-eating-bacteria-and-transform-them-into-useful-liquids-t1\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Develop Plastic Bottle Eating Bacteria And Transform Them Into Useful Liquids"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_232904\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-232904\" style=\"width: 730px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-232904\" src=\"https:\/\/trueactivist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/plastic.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"730\" height=\"417\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trueactivist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/plastic.jpeg 730w, https:\/\/trueactivist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/plastic-400x228.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/trueactivist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/plastic-640x366.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/trueactivist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/plastic-255x146.jpeg 255w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 730px) 100vw, 730px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-232904\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">University of Edinburgh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a groundbreaking study, scientists from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ed.ac.uk\/\">University of Edinburgh<\/a> have engineered a strain of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ecoli\/index.html\">E. coli<\/a>\u00a0bacteria with the remarkable ability to transform discarded plastic bottles, specifically <a href=\"https:\/\/omnexus.specialchem.com\/selection-guide\/polyethylene-terephthalate-pet-plastic\">polyethylene terephthalate (PET)<\/a>, into valuable substances used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and fragrances.<\/p>\n<p>Published in <a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/full\/10.1021\/acscentsci.3c00414\">ACS Central Science<\/a>, the research introduces a pioneering \u201cone-pot\u201d solution for repurposing plastic waste using microbes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every day, vast quantities of single-use PET bottles contribute to mountains of plastic waste. The world annually produces millions of tons of PET, and over 80% of it is designated for disposable products. The newly developed E. coli strain offers a transformative solution to this environmental challenge by upcycling discarded PET into adipic acid, a crucial component widely employed in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and fragrance industries.<\/p>\n<p><script type='text\/javascript'>\nif (detectWidth() < 768) { \ndocument.write(\"<div style='text-align:center;'><span style='text-align:center; font-size:12px; color:#777;'>Advertisement<\/span><center><!-- TA_MOB_G1_BTF3_300x250 t4\/2+ fb (content) --><div data-aaad='true' data-aa-adunit='\/117607917\/TA_MOB_G1_BTF3_300x250'><\/div><\/center><\/div>\");\n} else { document.write('<div id=\\'wi-194906\\'><\/div>'); jQuery('#wi-194906').closest('.side-widget').hide();\n}\n<\/script><br \/>\n<script type='text\/javascript'>\nif (detectWidth() < 768) {document.write('<div id=\\'wi-193994\\'><\/div>'); jQuery('#wi-193994').closest('.side-widget').hide(); \n} else { \ndocument.write(\"<div style='text-align:center;'><span style='text-align:center; font-size:12px; color:#777;'>Advertisement<\/span><center><!--TA_G1_BTF1_728V in content --><div data-aaad='true' data-aa-adunit='\/117607917\/TA_G1_BTF1_728V'><\/div><\/center><\/div>\");\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adipic acid is conventionally produced through an energy-intensive process heavily reliant on fossil fuels. The innovative approach by the University of Edinburgh\u2019s research team, leveraging engineered E. coli bacteria, represents a sustainable alternative to the traditional methods, aiming to encourage industries to adopt fossil fuel alternatives.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The authors write,<em><strong> \u201cThis approach enables the upcycling of waste carbon from existing industrial processes to create circular economies, avoiding the environmental consequences of landfill and\/or incineration processes.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAlthough chemical and biological approaches to the depolymerization and recycling of PET waste are being investigated, bio-upcycling technologies to convert plastic waste into higher value small molecules are less established.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHerein we report the first one-pot bioproduction of adipic acid from terephthalic acid and terephthalate waste in engineered\u00a0<em>Escherichia coli<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concept of utilizing bacteria and other microbes to biodegrade petro-based plastic polymers is not entirely novel, and various research initiatives have explored this avenue. Noteworthy instances include projects in the Arctic, a cemetery, the University of Texas, and Montana State University.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building on earlier work where E. coli strains were developed to transform terephthalic acid, the main component in PET, into vanilla flavoring (vanillin), the Edinburgh team took the process a step further. They targeted terephthalic acid, converting it into muconic acid using one type of E. coli.<\/p>\n<p><script type='text\/javascript'>\nif (detectWidth() < 768) {document.write('<div id=\\'wi-194140\\'><\/div>'); jQuery('#wi-194140').closest('.side-widget').hide(); \n} else { \ndocument.write(\"<div style='text-align:center;'><center><!-- \/117607917\/TA_G_1x1_outstream t4 --><!-- div data-outstream='inarticle'><\/div --><div data-aaad='true' data-aa-adunit='\/117607917\/TA_G_1x1_outstream'><\/div><\/center><\/div>\");\n}\n<\/script><br \/>\n<script type='text\/javascript'>\nif (detectWidth() < 768) { \ndocument.write(\"<div style='text-align:center;'><center><!-- \/117607917\/TA_G_1x1_outstream t4\/fb 2+ --><!-- div data-outstream='inarticle'><\/div --><div data-aaad='true' data-aa-adunit='\/117607917\/TA_MOB_G_1x1_outstream'><\/div><\/center><\/div>\");\n} else { document.write('<div id=\\'wi-195018\\'><\/div>'); jQuery('#wi-195018').closest('.side-widget').hide();\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Subsequently, they transformed muconic acid into adipic acid using another E. coli strain. The team achieved a remarkable conversion rate, turning up to 79% of the terephthalic acid into adipic acid.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The success of this study opens doors for further exploration into creating higher-value products through similar microbial processes. By harnessing the power of bacteria to metabolize plastic waste into valuable compounds, the research offers a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to addressing the global plastic pollution crisis.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This transformative technology not only showcases the potential of synthetic biology in waste management but also emphasizes the importance of seeking innovative, nature-inspired solutions to mitigate the environmental impact of plastic waste.<\/p>\n<p>As the researchers continue their work, there is hope that such microbial approaches could play a pivotal role in reshaping our relationship with plastic and promoting a more sustainable, circular economy.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>What are your thoughts?<\/em> <strong>Please comment below and share this news!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/trueactivist.com\">True Activist<\/a> \/ Report a typo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a groundbreaking study, scientists from the University of Edinburgh have engineered a strain of E. coli\u00a0bacteria with the remarkable ability to transform discarded plastic bottles, specifically polyethylene terephthalate (PET),&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1819,"featured_media":232904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7653],"tags":[3331,15471,15343,15470,22],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.4 - 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