Biodegradation and Mineralization of Polystyrene by Plastic-Eating Mealworms: Part 1. Chemical and Physical Characterization and Isotopic Tests

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Biodegradation and Mineralization of Polystyrene by Plastic-

Eating Mealworms: Part 1. Chemical and Physical
Characterization and Isotopic Tests
Yu Yang†, Jun Yang*†, Wei-Min Wu‡, Jiao Zhao§, Yiling Song∥, Longcheng Gao†, Ruifu Yang§, and
Lei Jiang*†
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 Cite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015, 49, 20, 12080–12086

Publication Date: September 21, 2015 
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b02661
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7/4/23, 5:29 PM Biodegradation and Mineralization of Polystyrene by Plastic-Eating Mealworms: Part 1. Chemical and Physical Characterization an…
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 Supporting Info (1) »
SUBJECTS: Bacteria, 
Abstract
Polystyrene (PS) is generally considered to be durable and resistant to biodegradation.

Mealworms (the larvae of Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus) from different sources chew and eat
Styrofoam, a common PS product. The Styrofoam was efficiently degraded in the larval gut
within a retention time of less than 24 h. Fed with Styrofoam as the sole diet, the larvae lived
as well as those fed with a normal diet (bran) over a period of 1 month. The analysis of fecula
egested from Styrofoam-feeding larvae, using gel permeation chromatography (GPC), solid-
state 13C cross-polarization/magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (CP/MAS
NMR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric Fourier transform infrared (TG–FTIR)
spectroscopy, substantiated that cleavage/depolymerization of long-chain PS molecules and
the formation of depolymerized metabolites occurred in the larval gut. Within a 16 day test
period, 47.7% of the ingested Styrofoam carbon was converted into CO2 and the residue (ca.
49.2%) was egested as fecula with a limited fraction incorporated into biomass (ca. 0.5%).
Tests with α 13C- or β 13C-labeled PS confirmed that the 13C-labeled PS was mineralized to
13
CO2 and incorporated into lipids. The discovery of the rapid biodegradation of PS in the
larval gut reveals a new fate for plastic waste in the environment.
Supporting Information
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The Supporting Information is available free of charge on the ACS Publications website at DOI:
10.1021/acs.est.5b02661.  
Styrofoam-eating mealworms from three different sources (Figure S1), procedures and
calculations used to estimate the carbon balance of Styrofoam loss, fecula residues, CO2, and
biomass in batch Styrofoam-feeding trials (Figure S2), procedures for 13C stable carbon
isotope tracer experiments (Figure S3), TGA–FTIR thermograms (Figure S4), impact of the
feeding condition on the biomass dry weight of mealworms after the 16 day test period (Figure
S5), and characterization of Styrofoam feedstock (Table S1) (PDF)
Biodegradation and Mineralization of Polystyrene by Plastic-Eating Mealworms:

Part 1. Chemical and Physical Characterization and Isotopic Tests
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