By The Financial District
Feb 11 min
In a groundbreaking development, scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have engineered a strain of bacteria capable of converting waste polyethylene plastic into biodegradable spider silk.
The resulting "bio-inspired spider silk" shares structural similarities with natural spider silk, boasting applications in textiles, cosmetics, and medicine.
Published in the journal Microbial Cell Factories, the study represents the first instance of utilizing bacteria to repurpose plastic waste into a valuable protein product, as reported by SciTechDaily.
Led by researchers Alexander Connor, Jessica Lamb, and Massimiliano Delferro, the study demonstrates the transformative potential of bacteria, specifically Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in addressing plastic pollution.
The resulting "bio-inspired spider silk" shares structural similarities with natural spider silk, boasting applications in textiles, cosmetics, and medicine.
Dr. Helen Zha, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at RPI, highlighted the exceptional properties of spider silk, including its strength, lightweight nature, and biodegradability.
By harnessing bacteria to produce this bio-inspired material, the research team offers a promising solution to the environmental challenges posed by plastic waste.