A common species of worm could be the key to polystyrene recycling on a mass scale, researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) have discovered.
The team from UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences discovered that the Zophobas morio ‘superworm’ can eat through polystyrene with the help of a bacterial enzyme in its gut.
Groups of the superworms were fed different diets over a three week period, with some fed polystyrene foam, some fed bran and others put on a fasting diet.
Chris Rinke, UQ Senior Lecturer, who leads the team said the superworms on the polystyrene diet not only survived but showed marginal weight gains.
“This suggests the worms can derive energy from the polystyrene, most likely with the help of their gut microbes,” he said.
The long-term goal of the project is to engineer enzymes based on those found in the superworms, with a view to upscale the biodegradation process for the recycling industry.
“Superworms are like mini recycling plants, shredding the polystyrene with their mouths and then feeding it to the bacteria in their gut,” Rinke said.
“The breakdown products from this reaction can then be used by other microbes to create high-value compounds such as bioplastics.”
Jiarui Sun, PhD candidate and co-author of the research, said the team was now aiming to grow the gut bacteria in their labs and conduct further tests on its ability to degrade polystyrene.
“We can then look into how we can upscale this process to a level required for an entire recycling plant,” she said.
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