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Turning Plastic Into Protein | Earth Wise

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Our planet is choking on plastic.  According to the United Nations, 79% of the 6.3 billion tons of plastic produced every year accumulates in landfills.  Half of all plastic produced is actually designed to be used just once and thrown away.  But plastic is not only accumulating on land.  In fact, the world’s oceans are projected to contain more plastic by weight than fish by the year 2050.     

According to new research, solving the plastic waste issue could help address another prominent global issue: hunger.  A multidisciplinary team of engineers, chemists, and biologists led by researchers from Michigan Tech University has developed a process to break plastics down to be recycled into useful products, including edible protein powder.

The research team’s process converts plastic into compounds using heat and a reactor that deconstructs the material’s polymer chains. The oil-like substance is then fed to a community of oil-eating bacteria.  The bacteria grow rapidly on the oily diet, producing more bacterial cells composed of roughly 55% protein.  This majority-protein byproduct is then dried out and turned into an edible powder.   The end result doesn’t look like plastic at all.  In fact, it resembles a yeast byproduct that comes from brewing beer. 

This research is funded by an award from the US Department of Defense.  The DoD often deploys soldiers in areas where access to food is challenging.  Converting plastic to protein could be part of a solution to that problem. 

While eating something that began as plastic might take some getting used to, it could be part of the solution to both plastic pollution and global hunger.

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Turning Trash Into Treasure: The Plastic to Protein Powder Solution

Beat Plastic Pollution

Photo, posted February 2, 2022, courtesy of Ivan Radic via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Preserving Produce With Eggs | Earth Wise

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Researchers at Brown University have developed an inexpensive coating to protect fruits and vegetables that is made from eggs that would otherwise be wasted.  The micron-thick coating solves problems for the produce and its consumers as well as for the environment.

The coating relies on eggs that never reach the market.  The U.S. produces more than 7 billion eggs a year.  The supply chain rejects about 3% of them, typically because of shell damage, which means that more than 200 million eggs end up in landfills.

The coating is mostly made from egg, the rest consisting of nanoscale cellulose extracted from wood, a tiny amount of curcumin (the main active ingredient in turmeric that has antimicrobial properties), and a bit of glycerol for added elasticity.  The coating is applied to produce by spraying or dipping.  It shows a remarkable ability to resist rotting for an extended period comparable to standard coatings like wax, but without their shortcomings.

Along with being edible, the coating retards dehydration, provides antimicrobial protection, and is largely impermeable to both water vapor to prevent dehydration and to gas to prevent premature ripening.  The coating is entirely natural, and it washes off with water.  So, anyone sensitive to the coating, such as someone with an egg allergy, can easily eliminate it.

Lab tests of the coating studied its effects on strawberries, avocados, bananas and other fruits.  All were seen to maintain their freshness far longer than uncoated produce.

The researchers are continuing to refine the coating.  They are also considering other source materials.  They chose egg proteins because there are so many wasted eggs, but it may be possible to make use of plant proteins instead to address the needs of vegan consumers.

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Egg-based coating preserves fresh produce

Photo, posted July 13, 2012, courtesy of Liz West via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Eco-Friendly Agriculture

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Modern agriculture has steadily destroyed native grasslands, among other ecosystems.  In fact, farming is one of the most ecologically destructive things that humans do.  But we do have to eat.  In response, there is a growing movement for agrarian reform, from grain farming on the prairie, to agroforestry, to raising livestock more sustainably.  Efforts are accelerating to develop a kinder, gentler agriculture adapted to a changing world.

One such effort has come from the Land Institute, an organization in Kansas that works on natural systems agriculture, which seeks to retain the ecological stability of the prairie with its perennial seed plants along with a grain and seed yield comparable to that from annual crops.

After four decades of effort, the institute has introduced its first commercial grain, a trademarked variety called Kernza.  Kernza is a domesticated perennial wild grass – a so-called intermediate wheatgrass – that has a long, slender head that resembles wheat seeds.  People describe its taste as sweet and nutty.   Kernza is already being made into a cereal called Honey Toasted Kernza by Cascadian Farms.  Patagonia Provisions – a spin-off from the clothing company – is making beer from the new grain.

Although Kernza is already being grown and sold commercially, it is not yet ready for prime time.  Last year, there were only about 1,000 acres in cultivation and the yield is only a third to a tenth of the yield of wheat. 

Developing a sustainable perennial polyculture of edible plants would have major benefits such as not having to plow every year, plants developing large root systems that can reach water far beneath the surface and, without annual plowing, having soil carbon remain in the ground.

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With New Perennial Grain, a Step Forward for Eco-Friendly Agriculture

Photo courtesy of Cascadian Farms/General Mills.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Plastic-Eating Mushrooms

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Plastic waste has become one of the most pressing environmental issues in the world.  Whether it is about drinking straws, grocery bags, or six-pack rings, getting rid of plastic items in the waste stream is a major focus of attention for more and more people.

Al mismo tiempo, cerca del 35% de los que tomaron Vyleesi sintieron una disminución de la atracción. Además, alrededor del 40% de los participantes en el ensayo clínico sintieron náuseas después de inyectarse Vyleesi, y el 13% tuvo náuseas masculinafuerte.com lo suficientemente graves como para requerir medicación. Los efectos secundarios incluían el oscurecimiento de las encías y la piel, especialmente en la cara y el pecho. Sin embargo, sólo se observó en el 1% de los pacientes.

A really promising way to deal with all the plastic ending up in landfills has grown out of research that was being conducted in the Amazon rain forest in 2012.  Back then, a group of students from Yale University discovered a fungus that eats only polyurethane.  It is a mushroom known as Pestalotiopsis microspore and it not only can survive exclusively on the plastic, but it can do it in anaerobic (that is, oxygen-free) environments.  Thus, these plastic-eating mushrooms could potentially thrive at the bottom of landfills.

More recently, other studies have identified additional mushroom species that can eat plastic.  Some of them are common, such as the oyster mushroom, which itself is edible.  In 2018, the first ever State of the World’s Fungi symposium took place in London.  The event focused on multiple applications for mushrooms, including their use as building materials, their ability to remove pollutants from soil, and their capacity to enable the conversion of waste into biofuels.

Under controlled conditions, it takes just a few weeks for plastic-eating mushrooms to start breaking down plastics.  After a few months, all that is left are puffy white mushrooms which, even if they are not used for anything themselves, can be composted and turned into soil.

So far, there has been relatively little exploitation of mushrooms for improving the environment, but they may well be a big help in dealing with the growing problem of plastic waste.

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Scientists discovered a mushroom that eats plastic, and believe it could clean our landfills

Photo, posted August 12, 2014, courtesy of Tim Sheerman-Chase via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Edible Six-Pack Rings

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There has much talk about plastic straws and their harmful effects on the environment.  But much like the straws, plastic six-pack rings are also enemies of the ocean.  While straws and six-pack rings account for only a tiny fraction of all the plastic trash in the ocean, images of marine animals tangled up in the rings have sparked public backlash against these common items.  The soft but tough plastic rings are transparent which means that in the water animals don’t even see them.  They end up tangled in the loops, which can cut into their skin and constrict parts of their bodies, leading to serious injury or death.  Birds, turtles, and otters are among the frequent victims of six-pack rings.

Plastic straws have readily available alternatives such as paper straws and reusable straws.  But the plastic rings that have been available for more than 40 years are not as easy to replace.  By law, six-pack rings are photo-degradable, so they do gradually disintegrate when exposed to direct sunlight.  But even then, they remain quite dangerous at least for a while.

The Saltwater Brewery in Delray Beach, Florida, recently has released edible six-pack rings, representing a brand-new approach to sustainable beer packaging.  The rings are 100% biodegradable and edible.  They are actually made from barley and wheat ribbons from the brewing process.  This packaging can be safely eaten by animals that may come into contact with them in the wild.

Producing the edible rings represents a big investment for a small brewery but the company hopes to influence larger brewers and inspire them to get on board with the safer packaging.

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Saltwater Brewery Creates Edible Six-Pack Rings

Photo courtesy of Saltwater Brewery.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Edible Tableware

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The problems caused by plastics in the environment continue to mount.  Major companies around the world are endorsing and promoting efforts to combat the problem including the New Plastics Economy Initiative which aims to have 70% of plastic packaging reused and recycled globally, which is five times more than the current percentage.

[Read more…] about Edible Tableware

Produce Stickers

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The fruit and vegetables in most grocery stores these days come with little stickers on them with a numerical code identifying the produce for the cashier at the checkout counter.  They are quite helpful for the cashier but a real irritation for the customer.  Half the time it is difficult to get the labels off the piece of produce and sometimes we don’t notice them at all and end up with a little paper sticker in our salad.

[Read more…] about Produce Stickers

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