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Mealworms may be one of our solutions to the plastic problem, according to a new study from Stanford University
.
This is the first study of where the chemicals in plastic go after they break down in a natural system, and the answer is in the intestines of mealworms
.
"It was definitely not what we expected," said lead author Anja Malawi Brandon.
"It was amazing that mealworms could eat chemical additives without building up in their bodies over time
.
In previous studies, researchers have found that mealworms, which are food for chickens, snakes, fish, and shrimp, and easy to cultivate, can eat a variety of plastic foods
.
"This work provides an answer for many," said Wei Min Wu, a senior research engineer from Stanford's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
.
The researchers looked at Styrofoam, or polystyrene, a common plastic commonly used for packaging and insulation, which is expensive to recycle due to its low density and bulk
.
After the mealworms in the experiment ate polystyrene, half of the excrement was partially degraded polystyrene fragments, and the other half was carbon dioxide
.
The researchers acknowledge that the HBCD excreted by mealworms is still harmful, and other common plastic additives may have different results in the same worms
.
"It's a wake-up call for us," Brandon said.
"It's a
reminder that we need to think about what to put in plastics and what to do with those additives
.
"
