Microbes from humics lakes surprise - bacteria and algae produced omega-3 fatty acids from microplastics. The environmental fate of microplastics has been difficult to trace. A research group used carbon isotope labeling to follow the fate of polyethylene in the food chain. To the researchers surprise, plastic carbon was transformed into beneficial fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6, by the microbes originating from humic lakes. Source 3c.
Facts on the ground: How microplastics in the soil contribute to environmental pollution. Plastic is a major threat to the environment. Of particular ecological risk is its manifestation as microplastics (<5 mm in size) in the agricultural environment. Scientists addressed this issue in a recent study, looking into the levels, shapes, and sizes of microplastics in Korean agricultural soils. They reported new insights on the agricultural sources of microplastics, contributing to a better understanding on their role in environmental pollution. Source 7r.
There are also very promising techniques of Mycoremediation (Ie fungui used to treat and recover soil and waste areas) in which a species of mushroom has been found to eat plastic and is even edible after doing so!