TX: Plastic-eating Enzyme Could Eliminate Billions of Tons of Landfill Waste

[rcjordan]

https://news.utexas.edu/2022/04/27/plastic-eating-enzyme-could-eliminate-billions-of-tons-of-landfill-waste/

[ergophobe]

What could go wrong?

Mutant 59: The Plastic Eater by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis (1971)
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2018/07/27/mutant-59-the-plastic-eater-kit-pedler-gerry-davis
"The plot is simple: a man-made bacterium starts eating plastic, all plastic, everywhere."

Daybreak Zero
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8455175-daybreak-zero
"he Earth's environment is saturated with plastic-devouring biotes and electronics-corroding nanoswarm."

Ill Wind
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/86452.Ill_Wind
"And when, in just a few days, every piece of plastic in the world has dissolved, it's too late... "

Andromeda Strain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Andromeda_Strain
"However, by the time the scientists realize this, Andromeda has mutated into a form that degrades the lab's plastic seals and escapes containment."

[Brad]

> What could go wrong?

Plus it's Texas.

[ergophobe]

Don't get me wrong. I think it *could* be on balance a great thing. I lean slightly techno-optimist. But it is the same basic plot: AI runs through mutant bacteria that produce a plastic-eating enzyme to find the best strain that produces the best enzyme.

Amazon, Facebook, Instagram... they've provided a lot of value. They've also done a lot of damage.

[rcjordan]

>Plus it's Texas

Well, it is Austin, which seems to be some sort of semi-sane enclave.

>Plus it's Texas

AND it is a petrochemical state that is trying to save its product streams.  Oil is bad, plastic is bad, so they gotta do some feel-good stuff.

[Travoli]

>semi-sane enclave.

Not sure about that.

(but the tacos are good)

[Brad]

> feel good stuff

I beg to differ, no feel good stuff in sight.  I'd feel better if there was some evidence of competency in TX. hhh.

> tacos

Yeah, I do hear that consistently, the food is darn good, so points there.

Texas locked up their own Founding Father and hero from their war of independence from Mexico, Sam Houston.  He was still alive when the US Civil War started and was pro Union and spoke out about it so they locked him up.  Point is they turn on their own.

[Brad]

All kidding aside.  *cough*

The real solution is to use a lot less plastics.  I get this feeling this is like the plastic recycling line and is just an excuse to keep us using plastic.

[buckworks]

>> a lot less plastics

^^^^

[rcjordan]

California takes on Big Plastic over recycling myths - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/29/23048481/california-plastic-recycling-myths-investigation-exxon

[Drastic]

>> a lot less plastics

^^^^

No kidding. I had an 8oz gatorade the other night and that little bottle was thick enough to use as a hammer punch. For a few cents of sugar water that piece of trash will be around for a very long time. Such a waste.

I remember school lunch milk and coolies all came in cardboard containers. Should be easy to go back to that.

[ergophobe]

Table salt is really good at recycling plastic

Although Rabnawaz expected salt to have an impact because of how well it conducts heat, he was still surprised by how well it worked. It outperformed expensive catalysts—chemicals designed to spur reactions along—and he believes his team has just started tapping into its potential.

https://www.futurity.org/table-salt-sodium-chloride-recycling-plastic-2971602/