In the scientific world, sometimes things just work by combining elements of the natural world with intuition and perseverance. That’s the case for one group of scientists. Biological Research Center in Madrid (Spain)who successfully found A smart way to produce bioplastics without relying on petroleum.
The system they devised is based on a strain of bacteria that has been genetically modified to phagocytose another bioplastic-producing bacterium, extracting this material without breaking it down. This wallless approach is far more sustainable than traditional petroleum-based methods.
The results of this research were published in a journal scientific reportpart of Nature Publishing GroupAccording to its creators, the bacteria that produce this bioplastic are P. putida KT2440, it produces and stores up to 90% of its total weight, but is very difficult to extract. So far, detergents and destructive systems have been used to achieve this, requiring polluting but inefficient processes.
The innovative proposal of the researcher is B. bacteriovorus The bacteria are then used as a lysing agent to trap the producing bacteria and then induce the release of the bioplastic material inside the bacteria. Of course, since it is genetically modified, it does not use any toxic compounds. B. bacteriophagy It can break the cell membrane that stores the bioplastic, making the extraction process simpler and purer.
The scientists responsible for the project have already registered a patent, which has been patented and implemented not only for the production of bioplastics, but also for the extraction of other types of substances such as proteins and other intracellular substances and by-products. seems to be trying from bacteria.
sauce: Synchro Agency
