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Would be good to have plastic waste broken down, but be careful not to take down our whole civilization with it. Almost everything today is made out of plastic...
What exactly comes out the other end? Small pieces of plastic?
"The analysis showed the worms transformed the polyethylene into ethylene glycol, representing un-bonded 'monomer' molecules." Moderately toxic, but breaks down in the air in about 10 days. Used in antifreeze. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_glycol
That is probably the best bit.
What exactly comes out the other end? Small pieces of plastic?
"The analysis showed the worms transformed the polyethylene into ethylene glycol, representing un-bonded 'monomer' molecules." Moderately toxic, but breaks down in the air in about 10 days. Used in antifreeze. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_glycol
Would be good to have plastic waste broken down, but be careful not to take down our whole civilization with it. Almost everything today is made out of plastic...
Would be good to have plastic waste broken down, but be careful not to take down our whole civilization with it. Almost everything today is made out of plastic...
What a great accident.
"To confirm it wasn't just the chewing mechanism of the caterpillars degrading the plastic, the team mashed up some of the worms and smeared them on polyethylene bags, with similar results." A disturbing but effective way to test the hypothesis.
"A chance discovery occurred when one of the scientific team, Federica Bertocchini, an amateur beekeeper, was removing the parasitic pests from the honeycombs in her hives. The worms were temporarily kept in a typical plastic shopping bag that became riddled with holes." What a great accident.
http://www.kidsdiscover.com/quick-reads/penicillin-found-fun...