ID: s119153
Date: November 22, 2020
TED Talks 4 title: The bacterial solution to plastic pollution
Plastic-eating bacteria is not a cure-all
Many wonder about the reason for the large number of the plastic in the areas in which they live, while others assert that plastic has many damages to their environment. The reason is due to the large number of plastic production around the world, as researchers have estimated that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.
Morgan said that the researchers estimated that it could take between 500 and 5000 years for plastic to fully degrade, and this matter leads to harmful chemical pollutants seeping into our oceans, our soil, our food, our water, and into us. So why is plastic produced with knowledge of its harmfulness? This is what Morgan proposed and answered by saying: Plastic is cheap, durable, adaptable and ubiquitous.
After doing a lot of research, Morgan discovered that there is something else that is cheap, durable and adaptable and everywhere, bacteria are microscopic creatures that cannot be seen with the naked eye and live everywhere, in various varied and harsh environments, and can cope with various temperatures. These bacteria may be the solution for the Plastic problems.
In Houston, Texas, USA, Morgan was able to prove that bacteria are able to break down the plastic, by sorting the lipase enzyme that helps the bacteria break down the plastic into small parts of sugar, and then digest it, so this indicates that the plastic is transforming from a long-term contaminant, Big and strong to a delicious meal for bacteria.
Many wonder about the existence of complications or side problems in Morgan’s solution, but she confirmed that these bacteria are normal and have not been genetically treated, but the process of analyzing plastic by bacteria is slow, especially since the plastic is strong and durable, so what is the solution to speed up the process of analyzing the plastic?
Morgan Vague exposes plastics to a series of ultraviolet (sunlight) treatments, when the heat is high at noon, that make the large, strong and durable plastic bonds a little thinner and a little lighter so that bacteria can chew them. Morgan finished with the phrase "plastic-eating bacteria aren't a cure-all," which means that it doesn't end the plastic pollution problem, but it can help alleviate the problem.
URL: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRwcm94eS5nb29nbGUuY29tL1RFRHhTSE9SVFM/episode/cHJ4XzI5OF82MjAzMzA1My1lNmVkLTRhNzMtYTczNy01YTVhOWI3NWQwNjM?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjgg9mI_JLtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ














