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Article
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AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button.
Tier 2
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Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
Remediation
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Reply to the ‘Comment on “Expanded polystyrene is not chemically degraded by mealworms”’ by W.-M. Wu and C. S. Criddle, RSC Sustainability , 2026, 4 , DOI: 10.1039/D5SU00247H
RSC Sustainability
2025
Zahra Mohammadizadeh Tahroudi,
Shaik Sayed Md Rashidul Hossain,
Gavin R. Flematti,
Jitendra Joshi,
Georg Fritz,
Rob Atkin
Summary
Researchers rebutted claims that mealworms biodegrade expanded polystyrene, demonstrating that insects fed pure or commercial EPS die faster than starvation controls, shed only frass and microplastics, and leave the polymer's chemical structure chemically unchanged and unassimilated.
Polymers
EPS ingestion ≠ biodegradation: mealworms and superworms fed pure or commercial EPS die faster than starvation controls, shed only frass + microplastics, and leave the polymer’s chemical structure unchanged and unassimilated.