Colossal Biosciences has already wowed the world with its revolutionary efforts to de-extinct long-gone species like the woolly mammoth and the dodo bird. Next on the biotechnology and genetic engineering enterprise’s list is tackling what some environmentalists say is one of the gravest dangers on Mother Earth: plastic.
When it comes to environmental concerns, plastic pollution is undoubtedly near the top of the list. The amount of plastic on our planet weighs as much as 1 billion elephants and has reached the deepest ocean trenches. It’s even been found on the moon. Our own bodies have been shown to accumulate over 50,000 plastic particles over our lifetimes — and as many as 500 particles per day.
It's true — the Earth, outer space, and our bodies have all been inundated with plastic. But there’s hope. Scientists at Breaking, a new plastic degradation and synthetic biology company, have detected a solution. Gestated at Colossal Biosciences, Breaking discovered X-32 based on a core discovery at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.
A plastic-eating microbe, X-32 naturally degrades three common plastics — polyolefins, polyesters, and polyamides — in as little as 22 months, leaving only CO2, biomass, and water as byproducts.
The company is now focused on synthetically editing the microbe to improve its speed, efficiency, and effectiveness and has already raised $10.5 million in seed funding.
"We could not be more thrilled to launch Breaking from stealth from Colossal. The technologies co-developed by the Wyss Institute provide limitless applications to address our planet's pervasive plastic contamination challenges,” said Breaking co-founder and Colossal Biosciences CEO Ben Lamm in a press release.
“Part of our core mission of ecosystem restoration at Colossal can only be achieved with the removal of plastics that plague our ecosystems and negatively impact biodiversity.”
As Breaking gears up for the widespread distribution of X-32, here’s more on the benefits of this miraculous microbe and how it can impact the global fight against plastic.
Breaking Through the Planet’s Plastic
Plastic recycling dates back to the 1970s and scientists have been aware of plastic pollution for almost as long as the product has been around. Still, with plastics taking hundreds of years to fully decompose, there are currently 6.8 billion metric tons of plastic waste throughout the world, the majority of which accumulates in our oceans.
This has resulted in what scientists have dubbed “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” an amalgamation of plastic waste three times the size of France that lies between California and Hawaii — large enough that it’s become its own coastal ecosystem for dozens of local invertebrate species.
Attempts to solve our plastic problem have spanned decades, from the use of incineration to the development of plastic-eating fungi. However, these solutions still result in harmful byproducts and often require oversight or maintenance, making them difficult to scale. As such, we have yet to break through our planet’s plastic problem.
Unlike earlier attempts at plastic decomposition, X-32 can begin working immediately, with no pretreatment or sorting. The microbe works by utilizing an enzyme that breaks down the chemical bonds in plastic. These bonds, known as hydrocarbon polymers, are too strong and too unnatural for most organisms to biodegrade and are the reason why plastic breaks down so slowly.
In lab tests, X-32 has been shown to degrade up to 90% of polyesters and polyolefins in less than 22 months, requiring no cleaning or decontamination. Compared to other developing solutions, X-32 has clean byproducts and swiftly targets multiple types of plastic.
“Our breakthrough natural approach to breaking down plastics is more environmentally friendly than most existing solutions,” notes Vaskar Gnyawali, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Breaking.
Now, the team at Breaking is working to identify, isolate, and genetically modify the enzyme responsible for X-32’s plastic diet to help the microbe work faster and more efficiently and prime it for use worldwide.
"Breaking is solving one of the biggest problems on our planet. They are using the natural world as inspiration and layering on cutting-edge technology to transform how we break down plastics,” said Jim Kim, general partner of Builders VC and a lead investor in Breaking. “This is going to be one of the biggest breakthroughs of the decade and I'm excited to be part of it."
A Colossal Opportunity To Cut Food Waste
With plastic covering every corner of Earth and impacting every industry in one way or another, X-32 has a myriad of applications across industries, from wastewater treatment to food waste composting and oceanic beautification.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United States wastes between 30% and 40% of our entire food supply, with food waste accounting for the largest category of materials in landfills, resulting in 8% of global carbon emissions.
Food waste is undoubtedly an environmental concern in its own right, one that’s heavily exacerbated by plastic packaging and contamination. Not only does plastic contamination in our food waste inhibit composting efforts, but packaging has been shown to increase food waste by forcing customers to buy more than they need.
By targeting the United States’ food waste, the Colossal Biosciences-gestated company has the potential to reduce approximately 48 tons of CO2 and ease the decomposition of 40 million tons of discarded food.
“The first in-field pilots will target the food waste and composting industry,” shared Kent Wakeford, executive chairman and co-founder of Breaking. “Food waste into landfills is costing $16 billion in taxpayer dollars per year. But that food can’t be composted because of plastic contamination. If we can remove the plastics, we can save the government a lot of money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help improve overall quality of life.”
Breaking Free From Plastic Pollution With Breaking
At a time when microplastics are being found in unborn babies, we have clearly gotten to the point where we must break free from plastic pollution or accept bearing its unseen toxic effects like oxidative stress, neurotoxicity, and endocrine disruption.
Current solutions to the plastic crisis aren’t enough. Even recycling, while touted as a sustainable savior, is ineffective, with the United States recycling less than 6% of plastic produced annually. Breaking offers a concrete, clean solution to the plastic crisis unlike any ever seen before. The Colossal Biosciences-gestated startup and its X-32 microbe have the potential to transform how we deal with plastic and usher in a future free of plastic waste.
Take it from Breaking’s co-founder and CEO, Sukanya Punthambaker, Ph.D., who shared her joy at this discovery in a recent press release. “I’ve spent my career in synthetic biology and protein engineering with the hope of developing something this transformational.
“In the future, our solution will be able to work across terrestrial and marine environments to break down today’s greatest threat to humankind/our existence: the plastic that is choking our world.”
