Researchers have found that the bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis can fermentatively convert environmentally problematic poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) plastics into highly biodegradable poly ...

A metabolic engineering research team has newly suggested a molecular mechanism showing superior degradability of poly ethylene terephthalate (PET). This is the first report to simultaneously ...

Nudged along by scientists and evolution, micro-organisms that digest plastics have the potential to create an efficient method of recycling Beaches littered with plastic bottles and wrappers. Marine ...

Bacteria can gobble up oil spills, radioactive waste and, now, plastic. Researchers in Japan said they have discovered a species of microbe that eats PET, the polymer widely used in food containers, ...

When a microbe was found munching on a plastic bottle in a rubbish dump, it promised a recycling revolution. Now scientists are attempting to turbocharge those powers in a bid to solve our waste ...

Japanese researchers have discovered a strain of bacteria capable of degrading polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is a commonly used plastic found in disposable water bottles. Named Ideonella ...

A team of Japanese scientists has discovered a bacteria that’s evolved to break down and consume PET—one of the world’s most environmentally damaging plastics. The team discovered the bacteria living ...

Plastic is a problem. We use too much of it — over 300 million tons are produced every year — and we can't easily get rid of it (there's that whole lack of biodegradability thing). But scientists in ...

In 2014, humans produced 311 million metric tons of plastic-- that equals about 3,500 of the world's largest aircraft carriers. In the environment, this plastic can take decades to break down, and ...

More than 220 million tons of plastic are produced each year, and despite greater emphasis on recycling programs, much of it gets dumped in landfills and oceans around the world. The U.S., for example ...

Ikoma, Japan – Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time. The accumulation of petroleum-based plastics is having devastating effects on our environment, wildlife ...

A KAIST metabolic engineering research team has newly suggested a molecular mechanism showing superior degradability of poly ethylene terephthalate (PET). This is the first report to simultaneously ...