Plastic waste is an increasing threat to the environment. A revolutionary discovery was made in Serbia: worms could solve this problem
Ecologists and scientists in Serbia have been trying for years to find solutions for removing waste from nature. Now in that fight, they got unexpected allies - worms that have the ability to break down plastic.
Harmful waste for us, and delicious food for them. Scientists from the "Siniša Stanković" Institute have been breeding and studying mealworms, which can break down plastic, for decades.
"Just like all of us who have certain bacteria in our bodies, which help us digest food, the same thing happens with mealworm larvae," says for "Deutsche Welle" Larisa Ilyin, scientific advisor of the Institute. "With those microbiotic cultures, they are able to break down the plastic mass into carbon dioxide and water. You don't have any harmful products from this biodegradation."
One container with several million mealworm larvae can break down a ton of Styrofoam per year. In nature, it would take more than 500 years to decompose.
Larvae are also an excellent supplement for feeding animals, and their secretions are also used as organic fertilizer in agriculture.
"You have a really closed system where you can use waste as food. It's called zero waste system (no waste). That's why they are becoming very popular and I believe that they will be a new branch of agriculture in the future," adds Ilyin.
From theory to practice
The company "Belinda animals" has turned science into practice. They are raising mealworm larvae on their farm and plan to establish a regional network of farms that will apply this approach. This would bring a double benefit to farmers: they would reduce waste and get additional feed for pigs and poultry. And along the way, they would contribute to the preservation of the environment.
"When a larva eats a kilogram of styrofoam, it emits only one to two grams of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. If a kilogram of styrofoam is burned in a cement plant, it emits 3.960 grams of emitted carbon dioxide. This is almost 4.000 times more pollution," says Boris Vasiliev from the company "Belinda animals".
Their story is just beginning. Mealworms are already in the food of some citizens, in energy bars, as a protein supplement to pasta. Experts expect that their use for human consumption will soon be approved in Serbia as well.
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