Plastic pollution is a growing problem. Each year, the world produces over 460 million metric tons of plastic material. An estimated 20 million metric tons of plastic litter are in landfills and the world's oceans.
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By 2050, production of plastic products is expected to reach 590 million metric tons, with only 18-20% expected to be recycled or repurposed. Now listed as second only to Asia as consumers of plastic, waste is also a significant problem for the ancient continent, as its most beautiful East African destinations are in peril.
Polystyrene (PS), known to most as Styrofoam, is used globally in food serving and storage, packaging (think packing peanuts), and insulation. It is particularly pervasive, non-biodegradable, and non-recyclable.
Once disposed of, it remains in urban landfills for up to 500 years (some say more) as scientists have yet to discover an effective way to degrade your coffee cup or those omnipresent packing peanuts.
Luckily, researchers looking for ways to reduce plastic pollution levels are receiving help from the animal and insectoid kingdoms. A recent discovery involving a pesky allotriophagic insect with an unusual craving may help combat world waste.
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A New Discovery About The Habits Of An Old Insect In Eastern Africa
A troublesome, disease-carrying insect may have a redeeming quality when it comes to handling pollution
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An exciting new discovery in Kenya could be the next step in the ongoing battle against plastic pollution. The darkling beetle species Alphitobius diaperinus, while native to most African countries, is one of four Alphitobiini genera found worldwide.
In the United States, two species have long been a nuisance to food stores and poultry. The larval form and the adult are efficient carriers of various diseases that adversely affect poultry. Introduced to North America from Europe as a tropical exotic species, the resilient beetle has been confirmed east of the Mississippi River and in Florida.
Also known as the lessor mealworm or the yellow mealworm, it is thought to have originated in sub-Saharan Africa. Highly prolific females lay 2000 eggs every five days; they can be found in bird and rat nests. Mealworm eggs are also found in bat colonies, one of Austin's leading attractions.
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Attracted by artificial light, the beetle also poses a threat to humans. The insect is easily identified with a shiny black or brown, broadly oval body, producing quinones as a defense mechanism. Quinones are a known environmental hazard to humans. Numerous health symptoms have been reported from exposure to the insect:
Asthma Rhinitis Skin degradation Conjunctivitis Corneal damage
The beetle's milky white larvae contribute to the proliferation of an extensive list of pathogens and parasites, including the turkey coronavirus, avian influenza, S. typhimurium, and the spread of E.coli bacteria.
Gut Bacteria
Human Hazard
Escherichia coli
Gastroenteritis, sepsis
Salmonella typhimurium
Gastroenteritis, Septicemia
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Pneumonia, ear/eye infections
But, as dangerous as the plastic-eating mealworms are, Alphitobius may have a redeeming quality.
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A Unique Insect With An Unusual Taste For Packing Peanuts
A kissing cousin of the lesser mealworm will eventually eat nothing but Styrofoam with a penchant for packing peanuts
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A research team has found that a genetically distinct subspecies of the Kenyan lesser mealworm of the Alphitobius genus has an appetite for synthetic plastics.
The unique Tenebrionidae strain was lab-grown in Nairobi, Kenya, at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE). The project was overseen by Dr. Fathiya Khamis, Director of the Arthropod Pathology unit. Tenebrio molitor, the most common of the mealworms, was initially investigated for use as a natural alternative food source.
However, scientific reports of genetic analysis showed that the worm was better positioned to help clean up the planet. This project was another step by African countries to improve eco-friendly projects such as the Coastal Kenyan Backpackers Lodge.
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In an article recently published in Nature, senior scientist Evalyne W. Ndotono and a small group of researchers detailed their investigation of the insect's gut bacteria, finding that the shiny lesser mealworm larvae had a gastronomic preference for consuming polystyrene ((C8H8)n). The average mealworm degrades up to 0.12 mg of hydrocarbon daily, surpassing traditional recycling methods.
Polystyrene product
Industry
Packing peanuts
Moving, retail, shipping
Cups, plates, coolers
Restaurant, Pharmaceuticals, Food Storage
Plant pot filler
Gardening, agricultural
A synthetic compound within the mealworm's natural food chain cycle is encouraging, according to Dr. Ndotono, as was the discovery that the degradation process was interrupted by commonly used antibiotics.
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Choosing non-Styrofoam for packing and hot foods can reduce polystyrene in the environment. Eco-friendly materials include:
PLA Lined Paper Bagasse Molded Fiber Mineral-Filled Polypropylene
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How A Native African Insect Could Help Combat Plastic Waste
Insects known to degrade chicken coops have an appetite for synthetic polymers that make up a pervasive polluting plastic waste
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Polystyrene is particularly insidious, as it is classified as non-biodegradable and non-recyclable. Light (a rare commodity in landfills) is one of the few substances that affect polystyrene.
Through a process known as photodegradation, light changes the material to a powdery substance. But, even light can not completely eradicate the polymer. After the conversion, the plastic pollutant, while in a different form, remains in the ecosystem at increasingly higher levels.
Because the common aromatic hydrocarbon threatens Earth's biosphere, many governments are passing legislation to ban its use, similar to the intent of California's plastic bag ban. In the United States, 32 cities have some form of prohibition or limitation on polystyrene use.
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While other bacteria and insects consume plastics and polymers, the effectiveness of Alphitobius at plastic degradation can be a game changer because it prefers polystyrene. After ingestion, atypical bacteria in the larvae's gut biome degrade the polymer into less harmful components. Highly specialized enzymatic digestion is considered a symbiotic or multi-stage process.
Among the actors, Pseudomonadaceae and Enterobacteriaceae are present in the mealworm subspecies but absent in standard mealworm species.
The discovery that the plastic-eating Alphitobius cousin can enzymatically degrade the polymer, combined with other natural plastic-eaters such as the Indian meal moth (Corcyra cephalonica) and biofilm-eating bacteria that also have a preference for plastic, provides hope for a non-toxic solution to a growing problem. Although making eco-friendly choices while traveling or storing food at home.
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There are a total of 50 other plastic-eating species.
Plastivore
Plastic Specialty
Indian meal moth (Corcyra cephalonica)
Polyethylene (single-use bags)
Comamonastestosteroni
Polymers in laundry detergents
Ideonella sakaiensis
PET
There are still more questions than answers. But, if research upholds these findings, bioreactors may be developed for use in controlled settings as new tools to mitigate the global plastic waste problem.