New strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa removes microplastic particles

Associate Professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Liu Yang and his colleagues edited the genome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

sticks (Pseudomonas aeruginosa), bacteria,which can form poorly soluble biofilms on the surface of various materials—for example, on plastic medical devices in hospitals.

The authors decided to use a bacterium to collect andmicroplastic burials. They modified the genome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in such a way that the bacteria began to colonize microplastic particles especially actively.

Also now with simple chemicalsignals can trigger the process of destruction of biofilm. This way you can separate debris from bacteria without using expensive solvents or killing the germs themselves.

Experience with a modified stick showed that it can be used to catch microplastic particles from water quite quickly.

Similarly, we plan to modifybacteria that live in natural aquatic environments or wastewater and can form biofilms. We hope this will help stop most microplastics from ending up in the world's oceans. 

Liu Yang, one of the authors of the study, associate professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University

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