Biodegradation of low-density polyethylene and polystyrene in superworms, larvae of Zophobas atratus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): Broad and limited extent depolymerization

Peng, Bo-Yu; Li, Yiran; Fan, Rui; Chen, Zhibin; Chen, Jiabin; Brandon, Anja Malawi; Criddle, Craig S.; Zhang, Yalei; Wu, Wei‐Min

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115206

Cited by 141 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The superworm was the largest in size, so the PS consumption rates were recorded as high and its body weight changed the most; yellow mealworm was the smallest, and the PS consumption rate was the lowest and its own body weight changed the least. This result is consistent with the analysis by Peng et al [ 23 ], who stated that the greater consumption capability of superworms was likely associated with their larger size and intrinsically aggressive foraging habit.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Among these insect larvae, three species have been studied further, including the yellow mealworm (larvae of Tenebrio molitor L.), the greater wax moth (larvae of Galleria mellonella L.), and the superworm (larvae of Zophobas atratus Fab.). The literature and our studies have shown that all three insects can eat and degrade PS [ 16 , 22 , 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biodegradation of Polystyrene by Tenebrio molitor, Galleria mellonella, and Zophobas atratus Larvae and Comparison of Their Degradation Effects

Jiang

Zhao

et al. 2021

Polymers

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Plastic waste pollution and its difficult degradation process have aroused widespread concern. Research has demonstrated that the larvae of Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm), Galleria mellonella (greater wax moth), and Zophobas atratus (superworm) possess a biodegradation ability for polystyrene (PS) within the gut microbiota of these organisms. In this study, the difference in PS degradation and the changes of the gut microbiota were compared before and after feeding PS. The results showed that superworm had the strongest PS consumption capacity and the highest survival rate during the 30 d experiment period. They all could degrade PS to different degrees. Superworm showed the highest ability to degrade PS into low-molecular-weight substances, while yellow mealworm depolymerized PS strongly by destroying the benzene ring. The changes of the intestinal microbiome caused by feeding PS showed that after ingesting PS, there was a decrease in community diversity in superworm and yellow mealworm, but an increase in greater wax moth. Meanwhile, Enterococcus and Enterobacteriaceae, found in all three species’ larvae upon 20 d of PS feeding, might play an important role in PS degradation. The results will provide more accurate PS degradation comparative data of the three species’ larvae and theoretical guidance for further research on the efficient PS biodegradations.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradation of Polystyrene by Tenebrio molitor, Galleria mellonella, and Zophobas atratus Larvae and Comparison of Their Degradation Effects

Jiang

Zhao

et al. 2021

Polymers

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“…The ubiquity of gutmicrobe dependent depolymerization and biodegradation of PS in T. molitor has been confirmed by multiple researchers (Yang et al, 2018a(Yang et al, ,b, 2021. The same PS biodegradation pattern has also been observed in the members of darkling beetles including Tenebrio obscurus (Peng et al, 2019) and Zophobas atratus (Peng et al, 2020b). PS-degrading bacterial cultures of Exiguobacterium sp.…”

Section: Polystyrenesupporting

confidence: 67%

“…In recent years, biodegradation of other petro-plastics, like PE and PS, insect larvae such as Yellow Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) (Billen et al, 2020), Dark Mealworms (Tenebrio obscurus) (Brandon et al, 2018;Peng et al, 2019), Superworms (Zophobas atratus) (Peng et al, 2020b), Lesser Waxworms (Achroia Grisella) (Kundungal et al, 2019), and by snails (Achatina fulita) (Song et al, 2020), have been reported. Yin et al (2020) isolated two LDPE-degrading strains from the gut of T. molitor larvae, Acinetobacter sp.…”

Section: New Approaches In Pe Biodegradation By Invertebratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial and Enzymatic Degradation of Synthetic Plastics

Montazer²,

et al. 2020

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Synthetic plastics are pivotal in our current lifestyle and therefore, its accumulation is a major concern for environment and human health. Petroleum-derived (petro-)polymers such as polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyurethane (PU), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are extremely recalcitrant to natural biodegradation pathways. Some microorganisms with the ability to degrade petro-polymers under in vitro conditions have been isolated and characterized. In some cases, the enzymes expressed by these microbes have been cloned and sequenced. The rate of polymer biodegradation depends on several factors including chemical structures, molecular weights, and degrees of crystallinity. Polymers are large molecules having both regular crystals (crystalline region) and irregular groups (amorphous region), where the latter provides polymers with flexibility. Highly crystalline polymers like polyethylene (95%), are rigid with a low capacity to resist impacts. PET-based plastics possess a high degree of crystallinity (30–50%), which is one of the principal reasons for their low rate of microbial degradation, which is projected to take more than 50 years for complete degraded in the natural environment, and hundreds of years if discarded into the oceans, due to their lower temperature and oxygen availability. The enzymatic degradation occurs in two stages: adsorption of enzymes on the polymer surface, followed by hydro-peroxidation/hydrolysis of the bonds. The sources of plastic-degrading enzymes can be found in microorganisms from various environments as well as digestive intestine of some invertebrates. Microbial and enzymatic degradation of waste petro-plastics is a promising strategy for depolymerization of waste petro-plastics into polymer monomers for recycling, or to covert waste plastics into higher value bioproducts, such as biodegradable polymers via mineralization. The objective of this review is to outline the advances made in the microbial degradation of synthetic plastics and, overview the enzymes involved in biodegradation.

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“…Meanwhile, strain M required co-diet (bran or cabbage) to show a consumption rate of 57.1 ± 2.5 mg per 100 larvae per day. Both strain G and M showed limited LDPE depolymerization [45] and there remains a lot to be investigated here.…”

Section: Biodegradation Rate Of Pe By Zophobas Moriomentioning

confidence: 99%

Worming the Circular Economy for Biowaste and Plastics: Hermetia illucens, Tenebrio Molitor and Zophobas morio

Kuan¹,

Chan²,

Gan³

2021

Preprint

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The negative impact of the modern-day lifestyle on the environment is aggravated during the COVID-19 pandemic through the increased use of single-use plastics from food takeaways to medical supplies. Similarly, the closure of food outlets and disrupted supply chains have also resulted in significant food wastage. As the pandemic rages on, the aggravation of increased waste becomes an increasingly urgent problem that threatens the biodiversity, ecosystems, and human health worldwide through pollution. While there are existing methods to deal with the organic and plastic waste, many of the solutions also cause additional problems. Increasingly proposed as a natural solution to man-made unnatural problems, there are insect solutions for dealing with the artificial and organic waste products towards a circular economy, making the use of natural insect solutions commercially sustainable. This review discusses the findings and how some of these insects, particularly the Hermetia illucens, Tenebrio molitor, and Zophobas morio, can play an increasing important role in food and plastics, with a focus on the latter.

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Biodegradation of low-density polyethylene and polystyrene in superworms, larvae of Zophobas atratus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): Broad and limited extent depolymerization

Cited by 141 publications

References 30 publications

Biodegradation of Polystyrene by Tenebrio molitor, Galleria mellonella, and Zophobas atratus Larvae and Comparison of Their Degradation Effects

Biodegradation of Polystyrene by Tenebrio molitor, Galleria mellonella, and Zophobas atratus Larvae and Comparison of Their Degradation Effects

Microbial and Enzymatic Degradation of Synthetic Plastics

Worming the Circular Economy for Biowaste and Plastics: Hermetia illucens, Tenebrio Molitor and Zophobas morio

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