Plastic Bag Solution

[xoxoxoBruce]

A Canadian 11th grader, as a science project, has isolated the microbe that eats plastic bags. It's not the ultimate solution, but it is a major step toward it.

He knew plastic does eventually degrade, and figured microorganisms must be behind it. His goal was to isolate the microorganisms that can break down plastic -- not an easy task because they don't exist in high numbers in nature.

Probably a research lab could have done this long ago, but there hasn't been any substantial interest (money) in this kind of research. They're to busy looking for things they can sell.

To identify the bacteria in his culture, he let them grow on agar plates and found he had four types of microbes. He tested those on more plastic strips and found only the second was capable of significant plastic degradation.

Next, Burd tried mixing his most effective strain with the others. He found strains one and two together produced a 32 per cent weight loss in his plastic strips. His theory is strain one helps strain two reproduce.

What if they scientifically increase the number of these rare microbes in the world and they start eating everything made of plastic... the microbe that devoured walmart!

The inputs are cheap, maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide -- each microbe produces only 0.01 per cent of its own infinitesimal weight in carbon dioxide, said Burd.

Think this kid will have trouble getting a job, after he's used up the scholarships he's won?

link

[Trilby]

when I saw the title of this thread I immediately thought someone had killed themself.


whew.

glad it's just more nerd mongering.

[binky]

Originally Posted by Brianna

when I saw the title of this thread I immediately thought someone had killed themself.


whew.

glad it's just more nerd mongering.

Me too Bri hmmm

[lumberjim]

Originally Posted by Brianna

when I saw the title of this thread I immediately thought someone had killed themself.


whew.

glad it's just more nerd mongering.

har. i thought it was that one where the kid demonstrates how to seal a bag of chips with a clever fold.

[sweetwater]

Is Burd certain that living things eating plastic will not form some sort of mutant beings - maybe tiny Borgs - plastic bacteria Borgs - Burd Borg Bacteria!

[xoxoxoBruce]

Are high school kids certain of anything?
Come to think of it, is there anything they are not certain of?

I see the fly in the ointment here, is the bags have to be gathered and put into this cooker. If they gather them up, why not just melt them down and reuse the plastic?

[tw]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I see the fly in the ointment here, is the bags have to be gathered and put into this cooker. If they gather them up, why not just melt them down and reuse the plastic?

The average cost of recovering plastic retail bags is somwhere between $1.25 and $1.50 per bag. Which plastics do you want to recover / recycle?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Recovering? It that the term for reusing the plastic?
Are grocery bags made of one of the bad plastics, unlike beverage bottles, that is hard to recycle?

[tw]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Are grocery bags made of one of the bad plastics, unlike beverage bottles, that is hard to recycle?

So which type of plastic does these bacteria eat? Or are these bacteria so destructive as to become an Andromeda Strain? All those women with plastic surgeons are in trouble.

[Clodfobble]

Looks to me like a grocery bag in the article photo.

[xoxoxoBruce]

The ones around here are white or brown (cardboard color), but that one may have been nom nom nomed by the microbes.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by tw

The average cost of recovering plastic retail bags is somwhere between $1.25 and $1.50 per bag. Which plastics do you want to recover / recycle?

Originally Posted by tw

That plastic is a problem only when it goes where recylcing (and microbes) cannot get at it. Sounds like these microbes are a solution still looking for a problem.

How is $1.25/$1.50 per bag not a problem? And please, once again, tell us where you got that number. Numbers without evidence are just lies, as I'm sure you know.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

How is $1.25/$1.50 per bag not a problem? And please, once again, tell us where you got that number.

Again, those numbers are only symptoms of a problem not addressed by the microbes.

Plastics that are problematic are ones that escape the recycling bin. That microbe solution is woefully ill-defined by unanswered questions such as ... why is this method better than existing recycling methods,

$1.25 etc are estimated costs per bag of recovering that plastic bag. Microbes remain an innovative solution still seeking a problem to solve. Plastics that are a problematic are plastics that escape recycling - ie $1.25+ per plastic bag.

Contrary to what xoxoxoBruce posted, the relevant point was answered then and is answered here again.

The next disaster film: Attack of the Polysysticvinyl Microbes.

Imagine, if you will, what kind of tools are found in that kid's basement that he can build a bacteria.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by tw

Imagine, if you will, what kind of tools are found in that kid's basement that he can build a bacteria.

Similar to those in yours?











j/k

[lookout123]

nah, there's only one tool in tw's basement.