THE’plastic pollution it is an ever-growing global challenge, which does not spare Africa. Although the continent produces only 5% of the world’s plastic, the increase in the use of single-use materials is making it the second most polluted in the world. Faced with this emergency, researchers from the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) seemed to have identified an innovative approach to tackle the problem.
According to a study published in Scientific Reports which we had already dealt with, in fact, the larvae of Alphitobius diaperinusa dark beetle species native to Africa, are capable of consume up to 50% of the polystyrenea type of plastic widely used in disposable packaging and containers.
Thus the researchers believed that they had arrived at an innovative solution to the problem of plastic pollution. However, recent studies have shown that this hope may have been misplaced. Although the larvae of some species, such as the wax caterpillar (Mellonella Gallery), showed the ability to “bite” plastic, the results.
The diet was unsustainable for their metabolism
Caterpillars, attracted by the similarity between plastic and wax – one of their natural food sources – have shown they can gnaw on materials such as polystyrene. The real problem emerged, however, when we analyzed what remained afterwards: microplastics, fragments that are even smaller and more difficult to manage than the original material.
Furthermore, these insects did not obtain any nutritional value from the plastic, making the “diet” unsustainable for their metabolism. In practice, for the caterpillars, plastic was like eating paper: it is ingested but without bringing benefits, neither for them nor for the environment.
Biotechnology expert Professor Gustav Vaaje-Kolstad points out that early studies were not precise enough. He explained that for valid research, the results must be repeatable by other researchersbut this was not the case for caterpillars. And so the initial expectations turned out to be excessive. Despite this, the studies have inspired further research to develop more effective methods of plastic degradation.
The central problem is related to chemical structure of plasticcomposed of long chains of molecules similar to “pearl necklaces”. In order to recycle these materials, it is necessary to break these chains into their smallest elements, a process that is still complex and expensive.
However, Vaaje-Kolstad remains optimistic about the future. While caterpillars may not be the ultimate solution, scientists continue to investigate innovative ways to degrade plastic sustainably. The long term goal is produce materials that can be easily broken down and reusedthus reducing the need to produce new plastic.
