Romy Quint
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The oxygen release is an unexpected bonus. The bacteria metabolise the carbon backbone of the plastic and, in the process, generate oxygen as a byproduct, which is why researchers describe them as exhaling breathable air. In enclosed waste-treatment systems, that could help manage the gas balance of the whole process.
The hard truth is scale. A bacterium that eats plastic in a lab does not clean an ocean. But paired with collection and contained bioreactors, it offers something no incinerator can: a closed loop where plastic waste becomes feedstock. The deep ocean may have handed us the tools to clean up what we dropped into it. ♻️
Source: University of Tokyo, Nature Microbiology 2025
#OceanCleanup #EnzymeEngineering
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Japanese researchers found Mariana Trench bacteria eating plastic waste while exhaling pure oxygen 🌊
Eleven kilometres down, in the darkest, coldest water on Earth, Japanese researchers have discovered bacteria that eat plastic and release oxygen. The enzyme they engineered from it, PETase-X9, breaks down PET plastic at rates that make existing recycling look glacial. 🦠
Deep-sea organisms evolve under extreme scarcity, and that pressure produces enzymes of extraordinary efficiency. PETase-X9 works at ambient temperature and pressure, unlike industrial chemical recycling, which requires high heat and energy. It dismantles plastic into its original building blocks, which can then be used to make new plastic — genuine recycling rather than downcycling.
