An interdisciplinary research team has engineered bacteria commonly found in wastewater treatment plants to break down harmful microplastics before they make their way into the environment.
The team, which includes members from the faculties of Engineering and Math at the University of Waterloo, added DNA to several species of bacteria to enable them to biodegrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics, which take hundreds of years to degrade in the environment.
“Think of these bacteria that already exist in water systems to clean up microplastics as biorobots that can be programmed to get the job done,” said Dr. Marc Aucoin, a chemical engineering professor.
Commonly found in carpet, clothing, and food and beverage containers, PET plastics are linked to cancer, insulin resistance and other health problems after they enter the food chain as microplastics.
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