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From Bottles to Bakery: Edible Cookies Made from Recycled Plastic
Confirmed
In Short: A new study at the American Chemical Society meeting has showcased a potentially edible cookie made from plastic, raising questions about plastic pollution and recycling.
Researchers at the American Chemical Society meeting have demonstrated a method to transform plastic into a snack, potentially addressing the issue of plastic pollution through innovative recycling techniques.
By genetically engineering yeast to digest plastic, scientists have created a gluey protein paste, which is then mixed with vanilla and beta-carotene, along with other food ingredients like oatmeal, to form cookies.
The study highlights the potential of using microbes to break down plastic, with researchers identifying a bacterial enzyme, LCPH1, that can dismantle both plastic and antibiotic molecules.
This discovery raises significant questions for the field of plastic pollution research, as it suggests a new approach to dealing with the environmental and health concerns associated with plastic waste.
The findings could lead to the development of biodegradable plastics that are more easily broken down by natural processes, potentially reducing the need for such unconventional recycling methods.
What's still developing
- NPR science reporter Ari Daniel tells us about researchers who use plastic to make cookies.
- SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Plastic pollution is a major problem 'round the globe.
- What if we could recycle some of that plastic by eating it?
- ARI DANIEL, BYLINE: Transforming plastic into a snack may sound a little tough to swallow.
- Microbes excel at this kind of thing, so Jayakody decided to try genetically engineering yeast to digest plastic - specifically the kind often used in water bottles and food packaging.
- “Plastic waste and its deterioration into micro- and nanoplastics, paired with slow biodegradation of most present-day plastic materials, has developed into a major environmental and human health concern,” said lead author Dr. Harry Lerner and his colleagues from the University of Konstanz.
- In the study, the researchers buried strips of a biodegradable plastic called LCAP, made from long-chain molecules derived from plant oils, in forest soil for more than a year.
- Microscopic images later showed the plastic riddled with tiny, bacteria-shaped pits, evidence that microbes had been eating away at its surface.