Microplastics can now be tackled by using bacterias according to microbiologists
Researchers at Honk Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have proposed an idea for using bacterias group and create tape-like microbe nets that can capture microplastics in polluted water which will form an easy to dispose and recyclable blob.
Microplastics are plastic fragments that are no larger than 5mm, these get accidentally released into the environment during production and breakdown of other plastics. Although they don't seem to poses any danger as they are so small, oh well they do pose a major risk to food chains and health. They can be hugely problematic, they are not easily biodegradable, and when they are in the ecosystem for a prolonged time, they get into bodies of organisms, leading to a transfer and retention of microplastics down the food chain. And due to their huge surface area and absorption capacity, they can absorb toxic pollutants, like heavy metals, drug residues, or pesticides in huge concentrations, which can lead to biological and chemical toxicity to organisms in the ecosystems, so they can be very dangerous for every organism, including humans.
They disperse into wastewater and into ocean waters, endangering marine life. These microplastics were found in more than 100 aquatic species in 2018 and were also found in salts, lettuce, apples, and more.
The researchers used the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to capture microplastics in a bioreactor. This bacteria is found in all environments and has been seen colonizing microplastics in the environment.
P. aeruginosa biofilms cause the microplastics to aggregate together, causing them to sink. Once captured, the microplastics in the biofilms sunk to the bottom of the reactor, the researchers used the biofilm-dispersal gene, which caused the biofilm to release the microplastics from the biofilm matrix, and then the microplastics can later be recovered for recycling.
The biofilm basically immobilizes the microplastics and traps them, and then they sink to the bottom of the water. From where the researchers can unlatch the microplastics and recover them for recycling.
However, the research is still a proof of concept test in labs and not in natural environments. And also aerugonisa is a disease-carrying bacteria that can infect humans, so basically either there needs to be an alternative otherwise it cannot be used on a large scale. And the researchers also say that the method to find natural biofilm-forming bacteria found in sewage and other environments.
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