The world population is growing disproportionately. And hunger with it. According to the UN, 690 million people (8.9% of the world’s population) are hungry. First, because of poverty, and second, because of a constant threat: climate change. This number is expected to increase by 10 million in one year and 60 million in five years. At the same time, there is the problem of plastic: there are too many. 79% of the 6,300 million tons produced each year ends up in landfills. And they don’t disappear right away, some take hundreds of years.

A solution to both problems will soon come to light: food made of plastic. And yes, it can cure our ills.

Project. Biological Reuse of Plastic is the name given to the project by BioPROTEIN. This is a joint DARPA collaboration with Michigan Tech biologists, engineers, and chemists. Although this is very recent work, biologist Stephen Techtmann’s team has managed to produce small quantities of this protein powder, which they say smells a little like yeast. The idea is basically that people could be fed this product someday in the not-too-distant future.

All this is due to scientific evidence that a large number of bacteria in nature can clean up oil spills. This made the researchers wonder if these microorganisms could also satiate their appetites with plastic. Or better yet: turn plastic into food. In this way, people will not be able to eat the plastic directly, but will produce cells that bacteria feed on.

Michigan Technology Lab.

How it works. The process is quite simple: Plastics used in bottles, such as PE, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate, are chemically treated in a reactor for several hours. This process turns the plastic into an oily sludge, allowing bacteria to metabolize the material faster in a matter of days rather than years. After all the plastic sludge is consumed, the bacteria are sent to the microbial slaughterhouse, so to speak.

As Techtmann comments in this Vice article, at the molecular level the components of bacteria are already very similar to the food we eat. “They have a lot of protein in them: lipids, fats and vitamins. The product we produce is very similar to a pre-processed protein powder.”

possible uses. As food shortages increase, this solution could help with hunger and plastic waste problems. “Our big vision is to develop something that is relatively small and can be put in a trunk, and then basically self-powered without requiring a lot of power,” the researchers said. The advantage is that a large industrial plant does not have to do the conversions. If all goes well, it will become a potential sustainable food source, similar to the current trend for animal-free protein.

Topics. Of course, the project is not without barriers, both in terms of scale and recyclability. Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled. Much of this has to do with how expensive the process is. And the value of plastic decreases with each reuse: it’s cheap to make new plastic. Also, chemical treatment consumes a lot of energy, so scientists are looking for alternative ways using solar panels attached to the sides of the all-in-one. Another challenge is making sure the product is safe for food consumption and proving it to regulators.

Image: Remove Bounce | Michigan Technology