--- title: "Scientists Gene Hack Bacteria That Breaks Down Plastic Waste" description: "The scientists edited to the bacteria to prove which enzyme it used to degrade PET plastics into bioavailable carbon." date: "2024-10-06" modified: "2024-10-06" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/bacteria-break-down-waste" categories: - "Bacteria" - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Pathogens" tags: - "microplastics" - "plastic" - "pollution" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Gene Hack Bacteria That Breaks Down Plastic Waste ![The scientists edited to the bacteria to prove which enzyme it used to degrade PET plastics into bioavailable carbon.]() *\Image: James Wakibia / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty\* ## Bottom Feeders We may have a way of literally eating away at our planet's pollution crisis. As part of a [new study]() published in the journal *Environmental Science and Technology*, researchers have shed additional light on a possibly game-changing bacteria that grows on common polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics, confirming that it can break down and eat the polymers that make up the waste. Scientists have [long been interested]() in the plastic-decomposing abilities of the bacteria, *Comamonas testosteroni*. But this is the first time that the mechanisms behind that process have been fully documented, according to study senior author Ludmilla Aristilde. "The machinery in environmental microbes is still a largely untapped potential for uncovering sustainable solutions we can exploit," Aristilde, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern University in Illinois, [told ]()*[The Washington Post]().* ## Enzyme or Reason To observe its plastic-devouring ability, the researchers isolated a bacterium sample, grew it on shards of PET plastics, and then used advanced microscopic imaging to look for changes inside the microbe, in the plastic, and in the surrounding water. Later, they identified the specific enzyme that helped break down the plastic. To prove it was the one, they edited the genes of the bacteria so that it wouldn't secrete the enzyme and found that without it, the bacteria's plastic degrading abilities were markedly diminished. That gene-hacking trick formed a full picture of what goes on. First, the bacteria more or less chews on the plastic to break it into microscopic particles. Then, they use the enzyme to degrade the tiny pieces into their monomer building blocks, which provide a bioavailable source of carbon. "It is amazing that this bacterium can perform that entire process, and we identified a key enzyme responsible for breaking down the plastic materials," Aristilde said in a [statement about the work](). "This could be optimized and exploited to help get rid of plastics in the environment." ## PET Project PET plastics, which are often used in water bottles, account for 12 percent of global solid waste, the researchers said. It also accounts for up to 50 percent of the microplastics found in wastewater. That happens to be the environment that *C. testosteroni* thrives in, opening up the possibility of tailoring the bacteria to clean up our sewage before it's [dumped into the ocean](), for example. But we'll need to understand more about the bacteria before that can happen. "There's a lot of different kinds of plastic, and there are just as [many potential solutions]() to reducing the environmental harm of plastic pollution," Timothy Hollein, a professor of biology at Loyola University Chicago who was not involved with the study, told *WaPo*. "We're best positioned to pursue all options at the same time." **More on pollution:** *[A Shocking Percentage of Our Brains Are Made of Microplastics, Scientists Find]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()