Biotech & Recycling
Biotechnology advances and recycling breakthroughs for circular bioplastics.
Light-Powered Bacteria Turn CO2 Into Bioplastic
Bacteria fed nothing but carbon dioxide and visible light have produced biodegradable plastic in the laboratory. The study, published in the Journal of the American…
Insects vs Plastic: How Mealworms and Wax Moths Biodegrade Polymers
Certain insect larvae eat plastic and digest part of it. A 2024 review in the Journal of Environmental Management covers what is known about insect…
How Bacteria Eat Plastic: The Biochemistry of Biodegradation
Plastic is in the oceans, in soil and in the air, and some microorganisms have evolved to eat it. A 2024 review in FEMS Microbiology…
Closed-Loop PLA: High-Performance Bioplastics You Can Recycle Forever
Bioplastics have always traded performance for sustainability. Materials that biodegrade tend to soften early and break under load, which keeps them out of anything demanding.…
Ocean CO2 Converted to Bioplastic in World-First System
A pilot system has converted CO2 dissolved in ocean water directly into PHA bioplastic using engineered marine bacteria. The ocean CO2 bioplastic process, funded by…
Bacteria That Eat Nylon: A New Recycling Breakthrough
Engineered Pseudomonas bacteria have broken nylon-6 back down into caprolactam monomers at room temperature. The bacteria nylon recycling process uses roughly 90% less energy than…