Engineered yeast for converting plastic and biomass compounds to food additives

waschl

Is there any of this ”bacteria converting plastic to fuel/food/neutral stuff“ actually applied anywhere at scale under economically reasonably conditions?

ninalanyon

There was a Doomwatch episode on his subject with airliners falling out of the sky bcause all the plastic had been eaten away. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomwatch#Series_One

spockz

Maybe the only thing more worrisome than microplastics everywhere is unstoppable plastics eating organisms everywhere, eating through all plastics everywhere.

mbil

If you don't eat your biomass compound goo, you can't have any PlastiYum bacterial sludge

hkt

Honestly at this point I think the way to go may be to stop using plastics where they're not absolutely required, and to subsequently burn what goes into landfill while producing electricity and reclaiming heat. Better that than this.

thisisauserid

In 2011 researchers identified a fungus named pestalotiopsis microspora. It gained widespread attention because it can digest polyurethane plastic and survive entirely in anaerobic conditions, making it a prime candidate for deployment at the bottom of landfills. I for one look forward to serving this underground deity.

metalman

soilent goo, again! you, yes you, area "biomass compound", well maybe not quite yet, but soon, as these things go, but most definitly every last putrid smelly horrible thing is a "biomass compound", and when you add in plastic we are talking about most of the stuff found in millions of dumpsters, and most of the stuff actualy in dumps, or sewers. This then solves the whole issue of what is allowed to go in which can or bin, which is anything you cant get money for or find someone who will hall it away for free. I am very very sure that volunteers will soon show up wishing to "return to the great nutrient cycle" but there is nothing to worry about as I am positive that everything will be tested and cynicly proven to be safe for human consumption

autoexec

> The researchers took PET plastic, discarded corn plant stalks and leaves, and other biomass and put it through a proprietary process called oxidative hydrothermal dissolution. Created by SIU Carbondale Geology Professor Ken Anderson, this method uses water and oxygen at high temperatures and pressures to break down tough material into microbe-accessible pieces. Then, those pieces are fed to the programmed yeasts, which transform them into a variety of new food ingredients, including proteins, fats and acids. Finally, the researchers add fiber, starch and sweetener to the mix and extrude it through a 3D printer, forming protein-rich cookies dubbed µBites (pronounced "microbites"). [ https://phys.org/news/2026-08-yeasts-pet-plastic-crop-protei... ] It kind of sounds like they made food out of corn plant stalks and leaves and "other biomass", added fiber, starch, and sweetener, but then just polluted the product with processed waste plastic as an additive. If this really is just using trash as a filler in actual food that's pretty dystopian. I'm sure companies would happily line up to sell their industrial waste products to food companies as an additive, but I'm not seeing the appeal in this for consumers.

shevy-java

This keeps on re-emerging every year. The primary issue that has consistently been a problem, is the cost.

nstents

It will be interesting to see how much carbon dioxide is also created through this process.

londons_explore

Someone needs to figure out how to convert mineral oil into food. If it could be done, we solve world hunger overnight. Oddly many countries explicitly have a law that such a thing is forbidden. I wonder it it was preemptively protecting farmers?

zbentley

Isn’t this the plot of The Andromeda Strain ?

axiologist

Soylent Green?

talon8635

Please don’t add the byproduct to my food, put it in the ground to decompose

King-Aaron

"Even that sandwich you're eating is made from old, recycled sandwiches!"

ltbarcly3

Wasn't there a heinlein or dick story about some bacteria that evolved to eat all the paper so humanity couldn't have books anymore? Like everything is made of plastic, do we want it to start getting moldy?

aussieguy1234

Assuming this works, now they just have to convince people to eat plastic