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Engineered yeast for converting plastic and biomass compounds to food additives
- ninalanyon 21d agoThere was a Doomwatch episode on his subject with airliners falling out of the sky bcause all the plastic had been eaten away. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomwatch#Series_One https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomwatch#Series_One
- waschl 21d agoIs there any of this ”bacteria converting plastic to fuel/food/neutral stuff“ actually applied anywhere at scale under economically reasonably conditions?
- deleted 21d ago[deleted]
- shymaple 20d agoNot exactly these set of microbes(you will need to find the process). These authors used engineered microbes on a plastic derived substrate and not the plastic it self(PET). To make a fuel or food or other stuff out of it you need to define the microbes set(mixture). Almost every study claiming plastic to X follows hybrid pattern, they break the polymer into smaller molecules by depolymerization either thermally/chemically for polyolefins like PE/PP/PS, since no enzyme is known to break a C-C backbone; enzymatically for ester-linked plastics like PET/PU, via PETase-type enzymes). Then it goes to the fermentation process, resulting small molecules into lipids (most common), PHA, or specific chemicals. Sometimes a consortium(Mixture of microbes) is used, with different microbes handling different fractions of the breakdown mixture. Any "protein from plastic" claim is the same logic, the depolymerized substrate is just feeding an yeast, and the protein is the yeast biomass itself, harvested and used crude or extracted. True microbial degradation of intact plastic polymers, no pretreatment, organism doing all the work, is still a challenging task for biologist.
- regularfry 20d agoMinor point, but a few years ago there was noise about waxworms being able to break down PE into ethylene glycol somehow, which would mean enzymatically breaking C-C bonds. No idea where that research ended up.
- shymaple 20d agoYes, you are correct. Waxworm saliva in combination with gut microbes can digest PE.
- aaron695 20d ago[dead]
- spockz 21d agoMaybe the only thing more worrisome than microplastics everywhere is unstoppable plastics eating organisms everywhere, eating through all plastics everywhere.
- piloto_ciego 21d agoThere’s a fantastically silly but fun book about this the name of which eludes me.
- mocheeze 21d agoNot plastic, but 'Cats Cradle' by Kurt Vonnegut has something kind of like that.
- stevekemp 21d agoMutant 59: The Plastic Eaters, a 1971 British sci-fi environmental disaster novel written by medical scientist Kit Pedler and television screenwriter Gerry Davis. No wikipedia page, but goodreads has it here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99852816-mutant-59 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99852816-mutant-59
- piloto_ciego 21d agoThat wasn’t it; I just found it, it’s called Ill Wind by Kevin J Anderson
- ch4s3 21d agoUsually these bioengineered yeasts need pretty specific growth conditions in order to eat in this case ethylene glycol, not raw finished plastic. In this case they say "plastic-derived substrates" which means they're pre-processing the waste plastic.
- cortesoft 21d agoGood thing microorganisms are famous for their slow rate of change in dynamic environments…
- itsrobreally 21d ago[flagged]
- Jaauthor 21d agoyou are ... plastic insects.
- mbil 21d agoIf you don't eat your biomass compound goo, you can't have any PlastiYum bacterial sludge
- pibaker 21d agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_soil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_soil
- hkt 21d agoHonestly at this point I think the way to go may be to stop using plastics where they're not absolutely required, and to subsequently burn what goes into landfill while producing electricity and reclaiming heat. Better that than this.
- fc417fc802 21d agoBurn it? With all the talk of carbon capture? Recall that plastic literally consists of a mass of hydrocarbons. Why not bury it?
- axus 21d agoI think the legitimate answer was groundwater contamination, but that should be solved for other things we bury. I'm on board for non-biodegradable plastic trash sequestration
- hkt 21d agoI'd argue that if we are burning plastics we get to dodge microplastics, and we get a second use of hydrocarbons. Burn enough plastic, maybe we can displace some gas. Optimistic, I realise.
- bluebarbet 21d agoOne problem is that plastic generally contains all manner of additives which create a health hazard when burned. Incinerators supposedly filter out the dangerous pollutants, but it seems likely that quite a lot gets into the air. For some of these chemicals we know that tiny concentrations, much smaller than previously thought, are enough to be dangerous. The safest approach IMO is ground sequestration. And of course much better regulation of plastic additives.
- Loughla 21d agoHow do you define 'not absolutely required'?
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- thisisauserid 21d agoIn 2011 researchers identified a fungus named pestalotiopsis microspora. It gained widespread attention because it can digest polyurethane plastic and survive entirely in anaerobic conditions, making it a prime candidate for deployment at the bottom of landfills. I for one look forward to serving this underground deity.
- metalman 21d agosoilent goo, again! you, yes you, area "biomass compound", well maybe not quite yet, but soon, as these things go, but most definitly every last putrid smelly horrible thing is a "biomass compound", and when you add in plastic we are talking about most of the stuff found in millions of dumpsters, and most of the stuff actualy in dumps, or sewers. This then solves the whole issue of what is allowed to go in which can or bin, which is anything you cant get money for or find someone who will hall it away for free. I am very very sure that volunteers will soon show up wishing to "return to the great nutrient cycle" but there is nothing to worry about as I am positive that everything will be tested and cynicly proven to be safe for human consumption
- autoexec 21d ago> The researchers took PET plastic, discarded corn plant stalks and leaves, and other biomass and put it through a proprietary process called oxidative hydrothermal dissolution. Created by SIU Carbondale Geology Professor Ken Anderson, this method uses water and oxygen at high temperatures and pressures to break down tough material into microbe-accessible pieces. Then, those pieces are fed to the programmed yeasts, which transform them into a variety of new food ingredients, including proteins, fats and acids. Finally, the researchers add fiber, starch and sweetener to the mix and extrude it through a 3D printer, forming protein-rich cookies dubbed µBites (pronounced "microbites"). [https://phys.org/news/2026-08-yeasts-pet-plastic-crop-protein.html https://phys.org/news/2026-08-yeasts-pet-plastic-crop-protei...] It kind of sounds like they made food out of corn plant stalks and leaves and "other biomass", added fiber, starch, and sweetener, but then just polluted the product with processed waste plastic as an additive. If this really is just using trash as a filler in actual food that's pretty dystopian. I'm sure companies would happily line up to sell their industrial waste products to food companies as an additive, but I'm not seeing the appeal in this for consumers.
- Sha1rholder 21d agoVegetables grown in shit, garbage, and pesticides are fine as long as the levels of harmful residues are low enough by the time they reach people's mouths. Not appealing, but also not that "dystopian"
- lazide 20d agoGood luck actually doing that, however. Plenty of folks wishing to pretend though.
- selfhoster1312 20d agoUsing manure and compost as fertilizer is likely as old as agriculture (though i disagree using pesticides is fine). What did you mean?
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- shevy-java 21d agoThis keeps on re-emerging every year. The primary issue that has consistently been a problem, is the cost.
- nstents 21d agoIt will be interesting to see how much carbon dioxide is also created through this process.
- shymaple 20d agoYes totally agree, not just the carbon dioxide but other by products too.
- londons_explore 21d agoSomeone needs to figure out how to convert mineral oil into food. If it could be done, we solve world hunger overnight. Oddly many countries explicitly have a law that such a thing is forbidden. I wonder it it was preemptively protecting farmers?
- manyatoms 21d agois there a lot of mineral oil out there? what motivates the suggestion of this particular precursor?
- goryramsy 21d agoI couldn’t find anything about this in a cursory google search, do you have any more information or links on this?
- philipkglass 21d agoThe Soviet Union ran such a program: https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/10/archives/soviet-plant-to-convert-oil-to-protein-for-feed-use-of-yeast.html https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/10/archives/soviet-plant-to-... https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP91T01115R000100080003-4.pdf https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP91T01115R0001000... The term to search for is "single cell protein." There are newer approaches to making single cell protein from carbon dioxide and renewable energy instead of fossil oil, like Solein: https://www.solein.com/ https://www.solein.com/ There are a few problems with turning oil into single cell protein: - Microorganisms have small cells that reproduce quickly, which means a lot of nucleic acids in the dry mass, which is trouble for animals (including humans) that can't tolerate a very high purine level in the diet. - The abundant cell walls of microorganisms also can cause illness when they're a high proportion of dietary intake. - Feeding single cell protein directly to people has to overcome traditions of cuisine, even in cases where it doesn't actually make people sick. Indirect usage of SCP (e.g. feeding it to salmon, and then having people eat salmon) can overcome that hurdle, but then the cost per human-edible calorie goes up too.
- nephihaha 20d agoSolein? Even sounds like "Soylent".
- zbentley 21d agoIsn’t this the plot of The Andromeda Strain?
- Zoo3y 21d agoCrimes of the Future also had people eating plastic bricks
- shymaple 20d agoWith gut microbes handling the plastic degradation to proteins? :-D
- MathMonkeyMan 21d agoNo, the plot of The Andromeda Strain is about a low orbit bacterium that clots blood very quickly but is extremely sensitive to blood pH.
- euroderf 20d agooh, spoiler.
- axiologist 21d agoSoylent Green?
- deleted 21d ago[deleted]
- reindeer2 21d ago[flagged]
- talon8635 21d agoPlease don’t add the byproduct to my food, put it in the ground to decompose
- userbinator 21d agoYour food is already 99% hydrocarbons.
- shymaple 20d agoeven if you decompose it, plants uses the same during their growth.
- talon8635 20d agoThat’s fine. Make it plant food, not human food. I’ll trust the food a plant produces by consuming this than eating it directly myself. There’s a filtering layer in ther
- King-Aaron 21d ago"Even that sandwich you're eating is made from old, recycled sandwiches!"
- ltbarcly3 21d agoWasn't there a heinlein or dick story about some bacteria that evolved to eat all the paper so humanity couldn't have books anymore? Like everything is made of plastic, do we want it to start getting moldy?
- aussieguy1234 21d agoAssuming this works, now they just have to convince people to eat plastic
- sroussey 21d agoI mean, aren't we all do that already?
- KellyCriterion 21d agoThere was a paper some month ago, showing that (through biopsie) that most people have around 8 - 10g of microplastic in their brain (thats around 1.5 - 2 standard credit cards)
- vanderZwan 20d agoIs this presented by The Yes Men! by any chance?
- DarmokTanagra 20d agoSoylent Green is plastic!
- Hoasi 20d agoInteresting framing from the get-go: > With billions of people experiencing hunger in 2025 and unable to afford a healthy diet, food insecurity remains a critical global challenge. You know where this is headed.
- closingreunion 20d agoLet them eat plastic
- CrzyLngPwd 20d agoYummy, can't wait to spread the packing on my plastic bread /s
- ZeroDayDreamer 20d ago[dead]