With modernization and high population in the Industrial and house hold world plastic waste is being dumped massively into oceans. A new research BioRxiv has come into a conclusion that microbes are the possible facts breaking down the large number of synthetic plastic.
As production of synthetics have been rising more synthetic waste should enter the ocean but Scientist have observed and discovered that the number of plastic dumped is gradually decreasing within ocean limits and this could be solely due to a rise of Bacteria which could digest Plastic. The researchers further discovered that the new bacteria is capable of shattering the molecules of Polyethylene terephthalate being used as its source of food.
The bacteria shortens the degrading process of PET in just six weeks along with other geological processes. A Barcelona University researcher Richard Sole mentioned that according to their mathematical modelling to calculate the process that the churning of the ocean itself is insufficient to break down the plastic waste microbes. And they suggest that the Bacterial organisma in the ocean is booming, as a result the plastic waste is gradually decreasing.
Although at present this is beneficial we must not solely depend on these organisms to further combat the synthetic plastic waste issue as there is a possibility of the plastic residue being buried beneath the floor of the ocean. In time to come there are possibilities that this reside resurfacing in rock form in the name of ‘Plastiobreccia’ causing other forms of environmental damage.
Plastic must be either banned or bio plastic must be manufactured in favourable of recycling and prevention of dumping large number of synthetic waste into the ocean. Bio plastic will help breaking down the long term process of degrading and prevent further pollution in this world.