Wastewater bacteria can break down plastic for food

Finding could lead to bioengineering solutions to clean up plastic waste

Researchers have long observed that a common family of environmental bacteria, Comamonadacae, grow on plastics littered throughout urban rivers and wastewater systems. But what, exactly, these bacteria are doing has remained a mystery.

Now, Northwestern-led researchers have discovered how cells of a Comamonas bacterium are breaking down plastic for food. First, they chew the plastic into small pieces, called nanoplastics. Then, they secrete a specialized enzyme that breaks down the plastic even further. Finally, the bacteria use a ring of carbon atoms from the plastic as a food source, the researchers found.

Read the full story at Northwestern Now.