Bacteria serve up a tasty solution to the global plastic problem
Bacteria serve up a tasty solution to the global plastic problem
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细菌为全球塑料问题提供了一个美味的解决方案
DOI：
10.1042/bio_2021_188
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发表时间：
2021
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Sadler J
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Sadler J
在爱丁堡寒冷潮湿的街道上，一个塑料水瓶摇摇晃晃地走来走去，提醒着我们这个星球面临的最大环境危机之一。在不到100年的时间里，越来越多的塑料垃圾不仅污染了我们的街道，而且几乎污染了自然世界的每一个角落--从珠峰峰到最深的海洋。但这个塑料瓶提供了可能扭转局势的灵感。从垃圾填埋场转移到实验室的瓶子很快抓住了世界媒体的注意力，经历了一个显着的转变，从塑料到香草醛-香草的主要成分和世界上最受欢迎的香料之一。这种看似不可能的炼金术行为是通过利用细菌的新陈代谢能力而成为可能的。它的成功具有巨大的意义。它不仅可以满足我们对这种罕见调味品的贪得无厌的胃口，而且还可以从根本上改变我们解决另一种成瘾的方式-无休止的一次性塑料和一次性塑料已经成为日常生活的一部分。然而，这只是触及了这种方法潜力的表面。通过诱使微生物表现得像生产有用材料的环保工厂，我们可以应对许多其他全球挑战。
Rattling around on a cold, damp Edinburgh street, a plastic water bottle is a stark reminder of one of the greatest environmental crises facing our planet. In little under 100 years a growing tsunami of plastic waste has contaminated not just our streets but nearly every corner of the natural world – from Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. But this plastic bottle provided the inspiration that could yet turn the tide. Diverted from landfill to the laboratory the bottle soon grabbed the attention of the world’s media by undergoing a remarkable transformation from plastic into vanillin – the main component of vanilla and one of the most in-demand spices in the world. This seemingly impossible act of alchemy was made possible by harnessing the metabolic power of bacteria. Its success has enormous implications. Not only could it meet our insatiable appetite for this rare flavouring, but it could radically change the way we tackle another addiction – the endless stream of single-use and disposable plastics that have become part of everyday life. Yet this only scratches the surface of the potential of this approach. By coaxing microbes to behave as eco-friendly factories that produce useful materials, we could tackle many other global challenges.