Which Type of Worm is Most Effective in Degrading Plastic?

Maryam Najeeb

BACKGROUND MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS

Plastics have found ways to notably simplify human lives by being present in nearly everything humans do After conducting the experiment, data was collected on the weight measurements of each container throughout 20 days.
while also damaging our planet significantly. People gradually converted to prominently using plastic over Materials The Mealworm and Superworm container had the food changed daily to maintain freshness and effectivity of the food.
reusable materials for their easy use and disposal. This growing use of plastics has been causing a rising  9 plastic containers Weights were collected everyday along with observation on each container containing plastic and noting these
number of wasted plastics every year. According to the UN Environmental Programme, people waste over 300  3 (10cm x 10cm) squares from a plastic bag. observations. Pictures were taken of each container holding a type of plastic. While the weight fluctuates higher and
million tonnes of plastic each year. Scientists have discovered many ways to get rid of this plastic, but many of lower every day, the average was taken of the weights every 4 days to generate an “averaged table” The worms could not
these solutions involve causing other types of secondary pollution such as releasing more carbon dioxide into
 3 (3cm x 2.5cm x 3cm) blocks of Styrofoam be measured individually because they are too light for the weight to identify and weigh. Instead, research was conducted
the environment.  Scale to find the weight of them. In some cases, the total weight was taken from a large group of worms and subtracted by any
other extra elements and then divided by the number of worms to find the approximate weight of each one.
Polyethylene is one of the most common types of plastic on Earth. Polyethylene has some of the most useful  Pen
and the most harmful effects on Earth because of its universal usage in plastic bags, containers, bottles, seals, Weight of each worm (approximate) prior to experimentation:
 Journal
and most of the things that are made from plastic. Polystyrene is also in very high usage in the Earth. It is used Superworms (15): 8g
in take-out containers, packaging, and boxing materials. Both plastics serve as important tools in an average  Fridge
Mealworms (15): 1.6g
person’s life, but they also play a role damaging the Earth day after day as the conditions and piles of plastic  Oatmeal
waste worsen causing increasing pollution. Waxworms (15): 3g
 Vegetables (potatoes, carrots…)
Recently scientists have discovered a new way to combat this crisis through worms. Tenebrio Weight of each worm after experimentation is not identifiable because it is too light to detect by the scale. They were
molitor, Zophobas morio, and Galleria mellonella are all worms that have been discovered to have the ability  Honey scalable prior to the experiment because they were weighed amongst a larger group and divided by the number of worms
to degrade plastics through their gut bacterias. This scientific discovery can be used in ways that will positively  Tweezers in that group. This is not possible to do with 15 worms because they are too light to scale.
impact the plastic pollution problem. Tenebrio molitor (Mealworms), the larva of a darkling beetle species, has  Knife
the ability to degrade common plastics such as Polystyrene, and Polyethylene. Most worms are able to
Figure 1 Raw data containing the
successfully degrade plastic by using their sharp mandibles (Hassan et al., 2016). The intestinal Method(s): weights collected daily in the
microorganisms found in the worms that are able to degrade plastic is what help them be able to digest the
plastic. (Urbanek et al., 2020). Mealworms have a digestive system that holds symbiotic microorganisms
1) Set up three containers for each of the three worms (Each worm will have three containers in which they will be split upon in their experiment. The colored row
groups separate the data into 5
which may play a role in their ability to degrade plastic. The mealworm's ability to degrade plastics comes quantities). groups used to make the
from their gut microbiome. The bacteriome is the central location for all these symbiotic microorganisms. "Averaged" data table. The
Their gut contains bacteria that is specific to degrading plastic which is what helps them to digest the plastics.
2) Cut 3 3cm x 2.5cm x 3cm block of Styrofoam, and 3 10cm x 10cm square from a plastic bag. Abbreviations coming before the
container identification (M, S, or
However, only specific types of bacterias located in this area are capable of degrading plastic. The 6) Place 1 plastic bag square in 3 containers W) stand for Mealworm,
"Exiguobacterium sp. strain YT2 isolated from mealworms can biodegrade PS successfully" (Lee et al., 2020).
Superworm, or Waxworm). The
This bacteria is one scientists have discovered that is what helps the worms digest and break down plastics. 7) Place 1 Styrofoam block into 3 containers word coming after this letter
Predictably, this bacteria may be able to degrade this plastic due to enzyme availability within their gut
8) For each worm, prepare a container with their designated food to survive using oatmeal and other items as the bedding, along with represents what is contained in
microbiome, so the enzymes would aid in speeding the process. the container such as the food,
Zophobas morio, the super worm, is a worm that has been found to have the capability of degrading plastic vegetables or honey as their food source depending on the worm needs. the Styrofoam, or the plastic bag.
as well by utilizing their intricate digestive system and the bacteria they hold. The "Zophobas morio belongs to 9) Weigh each worm type
CONCLUSIONS
the large beetle family of Tenebrionidae, which contains many stored-product insect species, such as T. molitor
and A. diaperinus" (Rumbos and Athanassiou, 2021). These worms are the larval stage of a wax moth. The 9) Add 15 Superworms in 3 containers (one container with the plastic bag, one with the Styrofoam, and one with their food)
worms “have a cylindrical, strongly sclerotized exoskeleton, conically narrowed from the base of the seventh
to ninth abdominal segment” (Rumbos and Athanassiou, 2021). The eggs are small, beige, oval-shaped 10) Add 15 Waxworms into 3 containers (one container with the plastic bag, one with the Styrofoam, and one with their food) By the end of the experiment, Superworms were able to degrade at a highly faster rate than the rest or the worms. It was noted that Superworms in the
spheres, and the larval worm is brown with darker brown edges. It contains around thirteen abdominal 11) Add 15 Mealworms in 3 containers (one container with the plastic bag, one with the Styrofoam, and one with their food) container containing Styrofoam released feces (worm excretions) in both containers, which may have also been mixed with the particles left from the
segments. Their intricate digestive system and their gut bacteria allow them to optimize plastic as a food source plastic. As the superworms degrade the plastic, they break it down into smaller, much more degradable particles if it doesn’t enter their digestive
similarly to Tenebrio molitor. The specific bacteria in their guts that allow them to degrade plastic is 12) Observe the worm’s efficiencies each day until the worms have reached a clear point of degradation. Vegetables should be changed system. By the end of the experiment, the base of the containers was mostly covered with these excretions and particles. The worms tried to cover
themselves under these piles as that is their natural instinct.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The “Pseudomonas species isolated from environmental matrices have been often to increase freshness. In the Styrofoam sample for the Superworms, it was clearly shown that the worms degraded the block by forming a series of tunnels. In these tunnels,
identified to degrade polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene the worms are found to be crawling inside of them in seek of shelter. So many tunnels were formed that the Styrofoam block became extremely thin and
terephthalate, polyethylene succinate, polyethylene glycol, and polyvinyl alcohol at varying degrees of 14) After observation has been completed, record the weight of each worm sample daily (along with the container) and write it down fragile, easily breakable with low pressure. In these tunnels, 5-8 worms would stay inside the tunnels as a form of shelter. The data taken for this
efficiency” (Wilkes and Aristilde, 2017). Thus, Z. morio has more capabilities in degrading a wide variety of container does not show evident changes in weights. The weight fluctuations were very slight and did not make noticeable changes due to the objects
plastic, making the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa contain capabilities that allow it to diversify its effects on 15) Use collected data to make graphs and analyze the results. inside already being extremely light,
varying plastic material. The Polyethylene container with Superworms contained a square of plastic derived from a plastic bag, the worms have degraded at nearly the same
Galleria mellonella, the wax worm, also encompasses many characteristics that aid in degrading plastic. The rate as the container with the Polystyrene. There were evident particles found on the bottom of the container mixed with feces, but much less than the
"Galleria mellonella is a member of the Galleriinae subfamily within the family Pyralidae of Lepidopteran container that included the Styrofoam block. The worms degraded the plastic in way that caused the pieces to be unevenly broken. By the end of the
experiment, the plastic bag broke down into three pieces that were each heavily degraded. The weights shown in the data remains mostly the same
order" (Kwadha et al., 2017). These worms are widely known to attack beehives. They break down the wax Superworm Weights
Averaged Weights of Each Worm without decreasing or increasing heavily.
within the beehives, hence their name. G. mellonella worms are a creamy yellow color with dark brown ends in The Mealworm container containing Styrofoam was degraded at an extremely slow rate with barely any Polystyrene degraded compared to the
180

All images and graphs made by Maryam Najeeb

their larval stage with a wider body composition. They have a lifecycle spanning from egg, to larva, to pupa, to 160 Superworm. This slower progression may be a result of their small weight and their environment in which cold temperatures cause their movement to
adult wax moth. These worms also have the ability to degrade through their gut microbiome. The 160 be very slow. Mealworms are about a third of the size of the Superworm, and they were stored in a colder temperature, causing movements to be
140
"Enterobacter asburiae YT1 and Bacillus sp. YP1 isolated from waxworms can depolymerize PE in vitro" 140 extremely slow. Almost each day the data was taken for this container, the worms are often seen on the Styrofoam block trying to degrade it. This
(Yang et al., 2014). These are what scientists have come to find after experimentation and testing to find the 120
means that the worms have the capability but their environments limit them to do such things. The data collected for this container does not show any
bacteria that helps for degrading the plastic. 120 extreme fluctuations and they remain similar.

Weights in Grams
Weight in Grams

100 It was highly unexpected that Mealworms and the Waxworms did not degrade anything of the Polyethylene. This proved my hypothesis wrong despite
100
the fact that the mealworms was widely known across the web and scientists to degrade Polyethylene. This also applied to the waxworms as they also

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN 80
80 did not degrade anything of the Polyethylene.
The Waxworm container containing Polystyrene showed very minimal signs of degradation. The Styrofoam was degraded but not as much as the
60 60
amount degraded by the Superworms, similarly to the Mealworms. The degradation signs shown in this container was the frayed sides of the Styrofoam
40 block that was noticed within the first few days of the experiment. There was almost no feces or particles found in the container which also clue to the
Hypothesis: Tenebrio molitor (mealworms) will be the most successful in degrading both 40 fact that minimal degradation was present. Data collected for this container shows that the weights did not fluctuate and stayed mostly the same for all
20 the containers. The container contained about one dead Waxworm by the end of the experiment. This might be due to the low food source or proteins
types of plastic (Polyethylene and Polystyrene) because during research, it was found that 20
left in the body of that worm to allow it to survive longer. The data collected for this container also remains very similar, showing no extreme changes
0
more scientists and experiments have been conducted on this matter and proved successful 0
Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
in the weights.
S Food S Styro S Bag M Food M Styro M Bag W Food W Styro W Bag As a result, it was clear that the Superworms were most progressive in both types of plastic in the experiment, and they were highly effective in
especially with Polyethylene. degrading other types of plastic. However, the other worms were also effective, but at very slow rates, opposing my hypothesis that the mealworms
Days would degrade most effectively. In a condition where more worms were present of more time was given to the containers that degraded at slow rates,
Independent Variable: Amount of plastic degraded from each of the 6 plastic containers in Type of Worm and Environment
the results could become similar to the ones for the Superworm container. This conclusion can prove that Superworms can degrade plastic in rates that
Series1 Series2 Series3 Series4 Series5
the experiment. S Food S Styro S Bag could positively impact the environment, therefore, they are the most effective in degrading the two most common types of plastic; Polyethylene and
Polystyrene.
Dependent Variable: How fast and efficiently the worms degrade the plastic based on their Figure 3 Table containing results of the weights collected throughout the experiment for
environment, plastic types along with the worm in the container. Figure 3 Table containing the weights of the worms over a series of weights averaged the Superworm. Abbreviations explained on previous figure.
every 4 days. Each series represents a set of 4 days, making a pattern to show the
Controls. Temperature, environment, types of plastics, the food types, and the overall
dimensions of each type of plastic.
trends of the weights fluctuating each day.
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Figure 1 Experimental set up for experimentation Figure 4 Table containing all the weights collected throughout the experiment for the
Waxworm. Abbreviations explained on previous figure.
Figure 5 Table containing results of the weights collected throughout the experiment for
the Mealworm. Abbreviations explained on above figure.
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