Page 78 - Plastics News September 2018

TECHNOLOGY

Finnish study to employ plastic-eating bugs in fight against
marine litter

he burning issue of ocean litter may be a step closer process from solar energy and wind power. Researchers
Tto being solved with a little help from plastic-eating in the PlastBug project have been studying microbes
bugs.The Finnish VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland that are capable of degrading different kinds of plastics,
is developing microbes that degrade plastic as part of a including polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene or
project called PlastBug.The project, according to Kari PET, and have developed methods for the pretreatment
Koivuranta, principal scientist at VTT, will involve a mobile of plastics. "Some microbes have already passed through
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explained Koivuranta in a written statement to PNE, is
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can at the same time produce some products like ethanol.
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tools to make our wanted product. So, microbe are not
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scientist.

A complete process is being engineered around the
fermenting unit containing microbes – a small plant in WKH ÀUVW WZR VWDJHV RI WKH VFUHHQLQJ ,Q WKH WKLUG VWDJH
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study, according to Koivuranta, was originally a one- plastic. In the next step, if plastic degrading microbes
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have been positive, so we are applying further funding effective microbes to digest plastic, and we will develop
to the project: Firstly to screen more microbes and to plastic pre-treatment methods further to ease the work
PRGLI\ WKHP DQG DOVR WR HQJLQHHU WKH ZKROH FRQFHSW µ of the microbes," says Koivuranta.A complete process is
the project leader said. The three-stage project will also being engineered around the fermenting unit containing
aim to build a pilot/demo plant where scientists can test PLFUREHV ² D VPDOO SODQW LQ ZKLFK SODVWLF LV PRGLÀHG IURP
plastic recycling with microbes in real conditions.VTT waste to products. The aim is that the pilot unit will
expects to start up the pilot unit on the Baltic Sea in 2021, operate on the Baltic Sea in 2021, but funding still needs
if additional funding of roughly €3 million ($3.46 million) to be secured for the realisation of this plan. If the process
is secured, Koivuranta added.The small, container-based can be made to work effectively enough, the PlastBug
factory will be placed in an area where centralized plastic units can progress to commercial production and operate
waste collection or recycling is not possible or feasible. in different locations around the world.
The container, which can be installed on a beach or a ship, According to the PlastBug team, if the pilot unit is
will receive the majority of the energy it needs for the
successful, the project can progress to commercial
production and be deployed in other parts of the
world. The Plastbug project, which came second
in the Meriroska (Marine Litter) Challenge of
the Finnish Environment Agency, is part of VTT’s
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solutions to problems. VTT Technical Research
Centre of Finland Ltd is one of the leading research
and technology organisations in Europe. VTT has
a national mandate in Finland.

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