One of Earth's biggest questions may have a small answer.

German researchers in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology Reporting in the journal Microbiology, they say they have identified and characterized a bacterium capable of degrading certain chemical components of polyurethanes.

Co-author of the new paper Hermann J., a senior scientist at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany. "The bacteria can use these compounds as a source of carbon, nitrogen and energy," says Dr Heipieper. "This discovery is a very important step towards reusing PU products that are difficult to recycle."

Polyurethane has the advantages of light weight, insulation and flexibility, and is widely used in refrigerators, construction, footwear, furniture, and many other applications. In 2015, polyurethane products alone accounted for 3.5 million tons of plastic production in Europe.

Unfortunately, because most of these plastics are thermoset polymers that do not melt when heated, it is difficult to recycle or destroy polyurethanes, And it takes a lot of energy. Most of this waste ends up in landfills, where many toxic chemicals are released, some of which can cause cancer.

Using microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi to break down oil-based plastics is a hot area of research, however, Few, like the current research paper, involve the biodegradation of polyurethanes.

The team from Germany successfully isolated a strain of pseudomonas sp from a site rich in brittle plastic waste. TDA1, a bacterium that promises to break some of the chemical bonds that make up polyurethane plastics.

To determine the mechanism by which the bacteria degrade these plastics, the researchers performed a genomic analysis of the bacteria. The researchers already had preliminary findings about the factors that help the microbes metabolize certain compounds in the plastic for energy, and they conducted other analyses and experiments to understand the bacteria's capabilities.

Christian ·, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research; According to Dr. Christian Eberlein, one of the paper's authors, who coordinated and oversaw the work, this particular strain is a bacterium that tolerates toxic organic compounds, as well as other forms of stress.

"This trait is also known as solvent tolerance and is a form of extremophile," he said.

The research is part of a European Union study called P4SB(From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida Synthetic Biology, using Pseudomonas putida synthetic biology) is part of a scientific initiative that seeks to find useful microbes to convert oil-based plastics into fully biodegradable plastic. As its name suggests, the project focuses ona bacterium known as Pseudomonas putida.

In addition to the urethane, The P4SB consortium, which includes the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, is also testing the microbial degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, which is widely used in plastic water bottles.

Heipieper says the first step in future studies of Pseudomonas sp.TDA1 will be to identify the genes that code for the extracellular enzymes, These extracellular enzymes, also called extracellular enzymes, are proteins secreted outside the cell that cause biochemical reactions that break down certain compounds in polyet-based polyurethanes.

However, there are currently no plans for the scientists to use synthetic biology techniques to create these or other enzymes to facilitate the production of bioplastics. Doing so, for example, might involve genetically modifying bacteria into small factories that can turn oil-based compounds into biodegradable compounds to make environmentally friendly plastics.

Heipieper says that until scientists make the technological and commercial leap forward, Scientists need to gather these "basics" in more studies like this. Take one small step at a time.