Researchers engineer bacteria that eat plastic, make multipurpose spider silk

[Judi Lynn]

JANUARY 24, 2024

by Samantha Murray, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Move over Spider-Man: Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a strain of bacteria that can turn plastic waste into a biodegradable spider silk with multiple uses.

Their new study, published in Microbial Cell Factories, marks the first time scientists have used bacteria to transform polyethylene plastic—the kind used in many single-use items—into a high-value protein product.

That product, which the researchers call "bio-inspired spider silk" because of its similarity to the silk spiders use to spin their webs, has applications in textiles, cosmetics, and even medicine.

"Spider silk is nature's Kevlar," said Helen Zha, Ph.D., an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering and one of the RPI researchers leading the project. "It can be nearly as strong as steel under tension. However, it's six times less dense than steel, so it's very lightweight. As a bioplastic, it's stretchy, tough, nontoxic, and biodegradable."

All those attributes make it a great material for a future where renewable resources and avoidance of persistent plastic pollution are the norm, Zha said.

More:
https://phys.org/news/2024-01-bacteria-plastic-multipurpose-spider-silk.html

[bucolic_frolic]

1. high-value protein worries me. Here comes plastic food! /nt

[Probatim]

2. We're already consuming micro-plastics - why not just start eating whole bottles?

I'm being facetious, of course. The notion that we're ingesting or inhaling this stuff is a bit unsettling.

[RKP5637]

3. This is so interesting! Thanks for posting!