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A Review on the Role of Insects and Their Gut Microbiota in Plastic Biodegradation

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A Review on the Role of Insects and Their Gut Microbiota in Plastic Biodegradation A review on the role of insects and their gut microbiota in plastic biodegradation Carlos Nahuel Regalsky Mallar Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck Faculty for Biology Master Thesis in Environmental Management of Mountain Areas Main Supervisor (UIBK): Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Bockreis Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck Second Supervisor (UNIBZ): Assist. Prof. Dr. Sergio Angeli Freie Universität Bozen Co-Supervisor: Dr. Sabine Robra Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck ∙ October 2020 ∙ Abstract Plastics, synthetic organic polymers manufactured mainly from petrochemicals, have become a fundamental part of modern society. Since large-scale production of plastic started around 1950 it has increased dramatically reaching around 380 million metric tons per year in 2015 with an all-time total of 8,300 Mt estimated to have been produced across the globe by 2018. Some of the characteristics that make plastic an appealing material, such as low-cost fabrication, high durability, lightweight and hydrophobic nature, make it also a problematic waste, especially since most of the production is conceived for single-use packaging. Moreover, global plastic waste management has not been able to keep the pace with its ever-increasing production, resulting in more than 4,900 million tons of plastic waste estimated to have accumulated in landfills and natural environments by 2017 and 11,000 Mt projected to accumulate in the environment by 2025. Uncontrolled littering and leaching of plastic waste to the environment has made it a ubiquitous pollutant across the globe, raising concerns about harmful effects on ecological systems. Efforts on prevention, reduction and mitigation of the urgent plastic waste problem have promoted research of different fields, ranging from adequate policymaking to the development of bio-based polymers. A viable solution to the “plasticene” problem will presumably involve a collective action of multiple fields. Microbial strains capable of using plastic as a sole carbon resource have been found in a diversity of places, from natural marine and terrestrial environments to city landfills and wastewaters. Additionally, some invertebrates have been observed to chew and ingest plastic. Further screening of their gut microbiome has revealed new strains capable of colonizing and feeding on plastic. Nevertheless, although multiple reports of microbial plastic degradation have been published to this date, reviews on the subject point out the inconclusive nature of some experimental results and argue that complete biodegradation has not been proved yet. i In particular, this review article focuses on existing research addressing plastic biodegrading using insects and related microbial strains and enzymes isolated from their gastrointestinal tract. By conducting a narrative review, using relevant keywords across multiple search engines and carrying out backward and forward reference searches on relevant publications, the present work aims to explore the role of insects and their gut microbiome in plastic biodegradation, ultimately discussing their potential as a biotechnology for plastic waste management. Finally, the limitations, knowledge gaps, and recommendations for future research are delineated. ii Abstract (Deutsch) Kunststoffe, synthetische organische Polymere, die hauptsächlich aus Erdölderivaten hergestellt werden, sind zu einem grundlegenden Bestandteil der modernen Gesellschaft geworden. Seit Beginn der Massenproduktion von Kunststoffen um 1950 herum ist deren Herstellungsmenge dramatisch angestiegen: Allein im Jahr 2015 errichte sie 380 Millionen Tonnen und insgesamt wurden weltweit schätzungsweise 8,300 Mio. t bis zum Jahre 2017 produziert. Eigenschaften wie die kostengünstige Herstellung, die hohe Haltbarkeit, das geringe Gewicht und die Hydrophobie machen Kunststoff zu einem attraktiven Material. Ebenso machen diese ihn aber auch zu einem problematischen Abfallstoff, zumal bei der Produktion größtenteils Einwegverpackungen hergestellt werden. Die globale Kunststoff- Abfallwirtschaft konnte mit der stetig steigenden Produktion nicht Schritt halten, was dazu führte, dass bis 2017 schätzungsweise mehr als 4,900 Mio. t Kunststoffabfälle auf Deponien und in der Umwelt angehäuft wurden und bis 2025 voraussichtlich 11,000 Mio. t in der Umwelt anfallen werden. Unkontrollierte Vermüllung und Auswaschung von Kunststoffabfällen in die Umwelt haben Plastik zu einem allgegenwärtigen Schadstoff auf der ganzen Welt gemacht, wodurch die Sorgen bezüglich dessen schädlicher Auswirkungen auf die Ökosysteme zunehmend steigen. Die Bemühungen um die Vermeidung, Verringerung und Eindämmung des dringenden Kunststoffabfallproblems involvieren verschiedene Forschungsbereiche, die von einer angemessenen Politikgestaltung bis zur Entwicklung biobasierter Polymere reichen. Eine tragfähige Lösung des "plasticene"-Problems wird vermutlich die Zusammenarbeit mehrerer Bereiche erfordern. Mikrobenstämme, die in der Lage sind, Plastik als einzige Kohlenstoffquelle zu nutzen, wurden an einer Vielzahl von Orten gefunden, von natürlichen Meeres- und Landumgebungen bis hin zu städtischen Mülldeponien und Abwässern. Zudem konnte beobachtet werden, dass einige wirbellose Tiere Plastik kauen und aufnehmen können. Ein Screening ihres Darmmikrobioms zeigte neue Stämme, die in der Lage sind, Plastik zu besiedeln und sich davon zu ernähren. Obwohl bisher bereits mehrere Berichte über den mikrobiellen Kunststoffabbau veröffentlicht worden sind, weisen Reviews zu diesem iii Thema aber auf die nicht schlüssige Natur einiger experimenteller Ergebnisse hin; Ein vollständiger biologischer Abbau sei noch nicht erreicht worden. Dieses Review konzentriert sich auf bestehende Forschungsarbeiten, bezüglich des biologischen Abbaus von Kunststoff anhand von Insekten und aus deren Gastrointestinaltrakt isolierten mikrobiellen Stämmen und Enzymen. Durch das Verfassen einer narrativen Übersicht, unter der Verwendung relevanter Schlüsselwörter in verschiedenen Suchmaschinen und der Durchführung von Rückwärts- und Vorwärts- Referenzrecherchen in relevanten Publikationen, soll die vorliegende Arbeit die Rolle von Insekten und ihrem Darmmikrobiom beim biologischen Abbau von Kunststoffen untersuchen und schließlich ihr Potenzial als Biotechnologie für die Kunststoffabfallentsorgung diskutieren. Abschließend werden die aktuellen Grenzen sowie Wissenslücken diskutiert und Empfehlungen für zukünftige Forschung beschrieben. iv v Acknowledgments First and outmost I want to thank my family for their unconditional love and support, always encouraging and enabling me to grow and improve myself. I wish to thank my supervisors, particularly Dr. Sabine Robra and Dr. Anke Bockreis for their constant and readily assistance. Their reassuring words and guidance were key to finishing this work. Thanks to my co-supervisor Dr. Sergio Angeli for remaining involved, even after the Corona pandemic forced us to abandon our original project. Thanks to Dr. Sara Bortolini for voluntarily granting me her time, availability and feedback. Thank you to all the lovely people and friends that have given me their hands, time, thoughts and advices, both in and outside the academic world. Special thanks to my girlfriend Lea Gibitz and her family, for making me feel like home and bear with me through thick and thin. Thank you to the universities of Bolzano, Innsbruck and all the EMMA professors involved, for I’ve learned so much more than I hoped for. vi vii Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................. i Abstract (Deutsch) ............................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................... ix 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Plastic material ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Plastic society ....................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Plastic world ......................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Plastic waste management .................................................................................... 4 1.5 Plastic biodegradation ........................................................................................... 6 1.6 A word about insects ............................................................................................. 8 2 METHODOLOGY .........................................................................................................10 3 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................12 3.1 Summary of the search results ..............................................................................12 3.2 Coleoptera ..........................................................................................................18 3.2.1 Overview ......................................................................................................18
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