What if bacteria and algae were able to produce omega-3 fatty acids from microplastics

Plastic carbon was transformed even to beneficial fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6, by the microbes originating from humic lakes.

The University of Jyväskylä

Increasing abundance of plastic waste has alarmed the society, but the environmental fate of microplastics has been difficult to trace.
A research group, led by the University of Jyväskylä, have used carbon isotope labelling (enrichment) to follow the fate of polyethylene in the food chain.
To the surprise of the researchers plastic carbon was transformed to beneficial fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6 by the microbes originating from humic lakes.
Microplastic degradation was more pronounced by microbes originating from the humic lakes than from the clear water lakes.

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