The fight against plastic pollution has a new and unexpected inspiration — mussels.
Rice University scientists are borrowing from the adhesive power of the mollusks to generate a new tool for breaking down plastic, as Interesting Engineering explained.
So how does the extreme stickiness that mussels use to cling on to rocks come into play?
The answer is through a highly adhesive natural amino acid called 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). Rice scientists incorporated DOPA into bacteria using genetic code expansion technology. They then paired it with an enzyme called polyethylene terephthalate hydrolase that breaks down plastic.
The results were fascinating, with the adhesiveness of the bacteria showing a staggering 400-fold increase, per Interesting Engineering. That led to what the researchers described as a "significant amount of degradation of the plastics overnight" in a press release.
The problem the researchers aim to address is huge. America generates around 40 million tons of plastic pollution each year, per the EPA. Plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose, per the Guardian, and that comes with a host of negative consequences.
Plastic fills up methane-producing landfills that warm the planet. It can also break up into microplastics that increasingly invade our food and water, leading to detrimental health effects. This plastic pollution threatens animals and fish, too, as it makes its way into the ocean and damages ecosystems.
For the study, the scientists targeted polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, in particular, Interesting Engineering reported. PET represents just under two-thirds of our plastic waste and is frequently found in packaging like water bottles. The breakthrough results join other promising efforts in finding ways to decompose PET more efficiently.
While this research could certainly help in alleviating some of the problems of all of the plastic already out there, another avenue for consumers is to explore plastic-free alternatives. Reusing plastic and upcycling it in inventive ways provides another option.
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Speaking of inventive, scientists have leveraged another mollusk, the oyster, to make clothes. The production of this so-called "Seawool" involves a blend of used oyster shells and recycled plastic bottles, with surprisingly good results from clothing companies like Long Wharf Supply Co., Wellen, Linksoul, and Title Nine.
Getting inspiration from nature for scientific innovations will be paramount to solving the puzzle of decomposing the plastic that's already out there. The team at Rice is sure that their research could make an enormous impact with further exploration and implementation.
"Very excitingly, our research holds promise for addressing the growing problem of plastic pollution in the U.S. and across the globe," said study leader Han Xiao.
He added that "it can potentially transform bioengineering applications and solve real-world problems."
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