Recently, scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia have discovered that a certain species of worm is capable of digesting and living off of a plastic-only diet. The plastic-eating insects are actually not worms—they are called Zophobas morio, also known as a superworm. Superworms are the larvae for a species of beetle and are commonly found in pet stores as feed for reptiles. In the past, studies have found multiple other types of beetle larvae are capable of eating plastic but this study focused specifically on Zophobas morio and drew some significant conclusions from their observations.
Researchers at the University of Queensland tested three groups of superworms on different diets over three weeks. One group was fed a normal diet of grain supplemented with vegetables, another on polystyrene (more commonly known as styrofoam), and the last one was fed nothing as a control. They found that the group eating polystyrene survived and even put on weight throughout the period. The plastic group thrived less than the grain-fed group but did better than the group with no food, suggesting that the worms did get some nutritional benefit from the polystyrene. This study ultimately proves enzymes in the worms’ guts were somehow able to degrade and digest the usually non-biodegradable substance and turn it into energy.
This study holds promise for environmental efforts moving forward. Polystyrene, or styrofoam, is one of the most commonly produced plastics and is used in everyday life and doesn’t naturally degrade. Currently, most pollution efforts focus on reducing the use of plastics and finding new purposes for already produced plastic. This study opens up the new possibility of safely disposing of plastics naturally.
The future of waste management is not heading toward massive worm farms though. While the worms are capable of digesting the plastics, it is detrimental to their overall health and is a slow process. Instead, scientists are trying to find the specific enzymes that break down polystyrene so that the process can be replicated on an industrial scale.
There are still several hurdles that scientists must cross before this process becomes a reality. Firstly, the researchers are still not sure which specific enzymes are responsible for the superworms’ abilities. Once the enzymes are isolated and identified, scientists would need to establish a way to create the enzymes in mass quantities, which could have unforeseen economic or environmental impacts. Some question if this process could ever be economically viable considering that it would be significantly more expensive for companies to break down plastic than to throw it out. Either way, these discoveries promise more options to reduce plastic pollution as society grows more environmentally conscious.
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