Polyethylene bio-degradation by caterpillars of the wax moth Galleria mellonella


Type
Article
Change log
Authors
Bombelli, P 
Howe, CJ 
Bertocchini, F 
Abstract

Plastics are synthetic polymers derived from fossil oil and largely resistant to biodegradation. Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) represent ∼92% of total plastic production. PE is largely utilized in packaging, representing ∼40% of total demand for plastic products (www.plasticseurope.org) with over a trillion plastic bags used every year [1]. Plastic production has increased exponentially in the past 50 years (Figure S1A in Supplemental Information, published with this article online). In the 27 EU countries plus Norway and Switzerland up to 38% of plastic is discarded in landfills, with the rest utilized for recycling (26%) and energy recovery (36%) via combustion (www.plasticseurope.org), carrying a heavy environmental impact. Therefore, new solutions for plastic degradation are urgently needed. We report the fast bio-degradation of PE by larvae of the wax moth Galleria mellonella, producing ethylene glycol.

Description
Keywords
Animals, Biodegradation, Environmental, Moths, Plastics, Polyethylene, Polymers, Product Packaging
Journal Title
Current Biology
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
0960-9822
1879-0445
Volume Title
27
Publisher
Cell Press
Sponsorship
F.B. is a Ramon y Cajal Fellow at the IBBTEC, in Santander, Spain. We thank Dr. Simone Ruggeri and Dr. Jenny Zhang for technical help. This work was funded by the Leverhulme foundation. P.B. and F.B. are co-founders of the company Baky.ltd. The authors declare no competing interest.