Could Plastic-Eating Worms Solve The Plastic Crisis? | An Expert Explains

Are polyethylene-destroying enzymes the answer to plastic pollution that we’ve been looking for? Federica Bertocchini, an expert in molecular biology, joins the podcast today to enlighten us on this fascinating research topic.

Federica works with the Department of Plant and Microbial Biotechnology at Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas-Margarita Salas in Madrid, Spain. With a passion for environmental science, Federica found herself looking for plastic eating-organisms – and you’d be surprised what her research has uncovered…

In this episode, we cover:

1) How plastic affects the worms that eat it.
2) The enzymes that are able to break down polyethylene.
3) What happens to plastic substances after worms digest them.

To find out more about Federica Bertocchini and her work, click https://www.plasticentropy.net/who-we-are/ now!

Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9C