Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Polystyrene by Plastic-Eating Tenebrionidae Larvae

Researchers examined the biodegradation of polystyrene by Tenebrionidae beetle larvae, testing the ability of plastic-eating mealworm larvae to break down the highly stable, hydrophobic polymer. The study characterized polymer molecular weight changes, gut microbiome contributions, and metabolic byproducts, demonstrating that larval gut bacteria play a key role in PS depolymerization.

2024 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Isolation, Identification, and Characterization of Polystyrene-Degrading Bacteria From the Gut of Galleria Mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Larvae

A polystyrene-degrading bacterium identified as Massilia sp. was isolated from the gut of greater wax moth larvae, and characterization confirmed it could break down polystyrene, depolymerize the benzene ring structure, and reduce polymer molecular weight when grown on PS as the sole carbon source, making it a candidate for biotechnology applications.

2021 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimizing polystyrene degradation, microbial community and metabolite analysis of intestinal flora of yellow mealworms, Tenebrio molitor.

Yellow mealworm larvae fed only expanded polystyrene were found to biodegrade the plastic, with the efficiency depending on temperature and humidity conditions. The gut microbiome of the larvae played a key role, and researchers identified metabolic pathways involved in polystyrene breakdown, advancing understanding of insect-based plastic biodegradation.

2024 Bioresource technology
Article Tier 2

Isolation of culturable bacteria from gut of Zophobasmorio fed with polystyrene

Researchers isolated bacteria from the gut of Zophobas morio larvae fed polystyrene, identifying microbial communities that can survive on and potentially degrade styrofoam, offering candidates for bioremediation of difficult-to-recycle plastic waste.

2025 African Journal of Biomedical Research
Article Tier 2

A novel Gordonia sp. PS3 isolated from the gut of Galleria mellonella larvae: Mechanism of polystyrene biodegradation and environmental toxicological evaluation

Researchers isolated a new bacterial strain, Gordonia sp. PS3, from the gut of wax moth larvae that can break down polystyrene microplastics with about a 34 percent degradation rate over 40 days. They identified specific enzymes responsible for the breakdown and confirmed the process produces non-toxic byproducts. The discovery points to a promising biological approach for addressing polystyrene plastic pollution in the environment.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut Microbiome and Degradation Product Formation during Biodegradation of Expanded Polystyrene by Mealworm Larvae under Different Feeding Strategies

Researchers found that mealworm larvae successfully degrade polystyrene under different feeding strategies, with gut microbiome composition and degradation byproduct profiles varying by diet, demonstrating that diet manipulation can optimize the biological plastic-degradation capacity of the mealworm system.

2021 Molecules 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene shaping effect on the enriched bacterial community from the plastic-eating Alphitobius diaperinus (Insecta: Coleoptera)

Researchers enriched and identified bacteria from the gut of polystyrene-fed lesser mealworm beetles, isolating Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, and Stenotrophomonas species that attached to plastic surfaces, confirming these microbes as promising candidates for breaking down polystyrene waste.

2022 Symbiosis 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Polystyrene by Tenebrio molitor, Galleria mellonella, and Zophobas atratus Larvae and Comparison of Their Degradation Effects

Researchers compared polystyrene biodegradation by three insect larvae species, finding that superworms consumed the most plastic and converted it most efficiently into low-molecular-weight substances, while all three species harbored gut bacteria from the genera Enterococcus and Enterobacteriaceae that appear to drive the degradation process.

2021 Polymers 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Polystyrene by Plastic-Eating Tenebrionidae Larvae

Researchers tested the ability of mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) and superworm (Zophobas morio) larvae to biodegrade polystyrene foam through feeding experiments with different dietary conditions. They found that both species could consume and break down polystyrene, with gut microorganisms playing a key role in the degradation process. The study suggests that insect-based biodegradation could offer a biological approach to addressing polystyrene waste in the environment.

2024 Polymers 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Isolation of Plastic Digesting Microbes from the Gastrointestinal Tract of Tenebrio Molitor

Researchers isolated bacteria from the gut of Tenebrio molitor mealworm larvae that are capable of degrading polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics. The identified gut microbes showed plastic-degrading enzymatic activity, suggesting potential for bioremediation applications.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Complete digestion/biodegradation of polystyrene microplastics by greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) larvae: Direct in vivo evidence, gut microbiota independence, and potential metabolic pathways

Researchers provided direct in vivo evidence that greater wax moth larvae can completely digest polystyrene microplastics, demonstrating that biodegradation occurs independently of gut microbiota and identifying potential metabolic pathways involved in the breakdown process.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 113 citations
Article Tier 2

Mitogenomic profiling and gut microbial analysis of the newly identified polystyrene-consuming lesser mealworm in Kenya

Researchers identified a lesser mealworm species in Kenya capable of consuming and surviving on polystyrene plastic, while also characterizing the gut bacteria — including Kluyvera and Enterobacter — likely responsible for plastic breakdown. This is the first report of plastic-degrading lesser mealworms from Africa and points toward insect-based bioremediation as a promising tool for plastic waste management.

2024 Scientific Reports 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Tenebrio molitor: possible source of polystyrene-degrading bacteria

Researchers identified that Klebsiella oxytoca bacteria, found in the gut of mealworm beetles (Tenebrio molitor), may be key players in breaking down polystyrene plastic, pointing to insects as a potential source of microbe-based plastic biodegradation solutions.

2022 BMC Biotechnology 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms and Perspectives of Microplastic Biodegradation by Insects and Their Associated Microorganisms

This review examined how insects and their gut microbiota contribute to microplastic biodegradation, summarizing known degradation mechanisms and the microorganisms involved. The authors found that several insect species harbor gut bacteria capable of depolymerizing common plastics like polystyrene and polyethylene, though degradation rates remain too slow for practical remediation at scale.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Novel insights into insect mediated polystyrene biodegradation through bacterial genome analyses

Researchers sequenced the genome of Stenotrophomonas indicatrix, a bacterium isolated from the gut of plastic-eating beetle larvae, and confirmed it carries all the genes needed to break down styrene — the building block of polystyrene plastic — into usable energy, advancing the search for biological solutions to plastic waste.

2025 Scientific Reports 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of aged polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) microplastics by yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor larvae)

Yellow mealworm larvae were able to consume and biodegrade both fresh and aged polyethylene film and polystyrene foam over a 35-day period. While aged plastics slightly slowed larval growth, the worms still broke down the plastic with help from their gut bacteria, confirmed by chemical analysis showing structural changes in the consumed plastic. This biological approach to plastic degradation could help reduce the amount of plastic waste that eventually breaks down into microplastics in the environment.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 22 citations
Article Tier 2

A potential enzymatic pathway for polystyrene degradation using saliva of greater wax moth Galleria mellonella

Researchers investigated whether saliva from the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella larvae contains enzymes capable of degrading polystyrene, identifying a potential enzymatic pathway that could offer a biodegradation route for this highly persistent synthetic polymer.

2025 Journal of Emerging Investigators
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiome of mealworms (Tenebrio molitor Larvae) show similar responses to polystyrene and corn straw diets

Researchers compared the gut microbiomes of mealworms fed polystyrene plastic versus corn straw and found strikingly similar microbial community responses to both diets. The findings suggest that the ability of mealworm larvae to break down plastics likely evolved from ancient biological mechanisms originally designed to digest natural plant fibers like lignocellulose. The study points to mealworm gut bacteria as a potential resource for developing biological plastic degradation strategies.

2023 Microbiome 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of polystyrene microplastics by superworms (larve of Zophobas atratus): Gut microbiota transition, and putative metabolic ways

Researchers fed polystyrene microplastics to superworms (Zophobas atratus larvae) and found reduced survival and weight, along with major shifts in gut microbial communities including an increase in Hafnia-Obesumbacterium. Metabolomic analysis identified three metabolic pathways through which superworm gut microbes break down polystyrene.

2023 Chemosphere 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic biodegradation: Frontline microbes and their enzymes

Researchers reviewed microbial biodegradation of synthetic plastics — including PE, PP, PS, and PET — cataloguing the insects, bacteria, and fungi capable of breaking down these polymers along with the enzymatic mechanisms involved, and outlining paths forward including metabolic pathway engineering and molecular cloning to improve degradation rates.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 663 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics biodegradation by gut bacterial Enterobacter hormaechei from mealworms under anaerobic conditions: Anaerobic oxidation and depolymerization

Researchers discovered that the gut bacterium Enterobacter hormaechei from mealworms can oxidize and depolymerize polystyrene microplastics under anaerobic conditions, offering a potential biological approach to plastic waste degradation.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Polystyrene by Galleria mellonella: Identification of Potential Enzymes Involved in the Degradative Pathway

This study confirmed that larvae of the wax moth Galleria mellonella can biodegrade polystyrene, one of the most resistant plastics, and identified candidate enzymes involved in the degradation process. Researchers used proteomics to pinpoint enzymes in the larval gut, providing insights that could inform future biotechnological approaches to plastic waste management.

2024 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Cockroach Blaptica dubia biodegrades polystyrene plastics: Insights for superior ability, microbiome and host genes

Researchers discovered that the cockroach species Blaptica dubia can effectively biodegrade polystyrene plastic, digesting nearly half of ingested material within 24 hours. They identified specific gut bacteria and enzymes responsible for breaking down the plastic polymer chains. The finding opens up new possibilities for biological approaches to plastic waste management using insect-microbiome systems.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of polystyrene nanoplastics by Achromobacter xylosoxidans M9 offers a mealworm gut-derived solution for plastic pollution

Scientists isolated a bacterium called Achromobacter xylosoxidans from mealworm guts that can break down polystyrene nanoplastics, reducing them by about 12% over 60 days. The bacterium works by producing enzymes that attack the chemical bonds in the plastic, and it was confirmed through multiple analytical methods. While the degradation rate is still slow, this research points toward biological solutions for cleaning up nanoplastic pollution in the environment.

2024 Archives of Microbiology 18 citations