We¡¯re all aware of how harmful packing materials like styrofoam can be for the environment, particularly due to their non-biodegradable nature.
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However, researchers now have discovered a species of superworms that feasts on this, and its gut could hold the secret to better recycling.?
Reported first by AFP, the superworms are the larvae of Zophobas morio darkling beetles, discovered by University of Queensland researchers. The superworms grow up to two inches and are often bred and consumed by reptiles, birds and even humans.?
Researchers fed superworms different diets over a three week period, with some given a polystyrene diet, bran and others weren¡¯t fed at all.
Chris Rinke, who led a study explained, "We confirmed that superworms can survive on a sole polystyrene diet, and even gain a small amount of weight ¨C compared to a starvation control group ¨C which suggests that the worms can gain energy from eating polystyrene."
Even though the polystyrene fed superworms successfully went about their life cycle -- becoming pupae and developing into beetles, tests revealed a loss of microbial diversity in their guts.
This suggests that even though bugs can survive on polystyrene it is not very nutritious for their well being.?
Researchers also made use of a technique dubbed metagenomics to analyse the microbial gut community to find which gene-encoded enzymes were involved in degrading the plastic.
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Researchers claim that based on the findings one of the things we can do is offer food/agricultural waste alongside polystyrene.?
Rinke added, "This could be a way to improve the health of the worms and to deal with a large amount of food waste in Western countries."
However, Rinke calls for a different approach, creating recycling plants that work similar to what the larvae do -- shred the plastic in their mouths and digest it through bacterial enzymes.
Rinke concluded by stating that in the end they wish to take the superworms out of the equation and they're currently looking for the most efficient enzymes, to enhance them even more via enzyme engineering.?
The byproducts from the reaction could be given to other microbes to form high-value compounds like bioplastics, resulting in an economically viable ¡®upcycling approach¡¯.
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