Scientists Turn Plastic Waste Into Edible Cookies
A team of researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale engineered yeast to create cookies that were 3D printed out of plastic waste, reports Futurism: The yeast breaks down the components of plastic compounds and agricultural byproducts like discarded plant stalks into proteins, fats, acids, and flavorings that we can eat. When these are combined together, the mixture is fed into a 3D…
Researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale have developed a method to transform plastic waste into edible cookies using yeast. The yeast breaks down the components of plastic compounds and agricultural byproducts into edible proteins, fats, acids, and flavorings. These components are then combined and fed into a 3D printer to create cookies of any desired shape.
The team used CRISPR gene-editing technology to modify yeast strains to consume polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common plastic found in water bottles, food packaging, and clothing. The cookies are currently expensive to produce, costing about $60 per kilogram, and some experts argue that this method is not a feasible solution to the global plastic waste problem.
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