The million tons of plastic pollution produced globally each year demand novel solutions. Degrading plastics with the help of microorganisms is a potential strategy. However, microbial plastic degradation needs temperatures above 20°C, which drives more energy use and higher costs.
In a study recently published in Frontiers in Microbiology, scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape research (WSL) offered an alternative approach that uses strains of bacteria and fungi isolated from alpine and Arctic environments to partially break down some biodegradable plastics at 15°C.1
During prior fieldwork in the Swiss Alps and Greenland, the research team discovered soil samples rich with microbial diversity. Curious about the microbes’ plastic-degrading abilities, they tested 19 bacterial and 15 fungal strains. To do this, the researchers exposed the microbes to different plastics, including the most common plastic pollutant, polyethylene, which is nonbiodegradable, and ...
