TEDxMtHood
Morgan Vague: These bacteria eat plastic
Morgan Vejg (Morgan Vague): Ove bakterije jedu plastiku
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Ljudi godišnje proizvedu 300 miliona tona nove plastike, no, uprkos našim naporima, manje od 10 odsto toga bude reciklirano. Postoji li bolji način za se pozabavimo svim tim otpadom? Mikrobiolog Morgan Vejg proučava bakterije koje su, kroz izvesne kreativne adaptacije, razvile neočekivanu sposobnost da jedu plastiku, a koje bi nam mogle pomoći da rešimo sve veći problem zagađenja.
Morgan Vague - Senior researcher assistant
Bacteria, bugs, germs -- Morgan Vague loves to get in the dirt (literally) to explore solutions to pressing problems. Full bio
Bacteria, bugs, germs -- Morgan Vague loves to get in the dirt (literally) to explore solutions to pressing problems. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
Plastics: you know about them,
you may not love them,
you may not love them,
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Plastika - znate za nju,
možda je ne volite,
možda je ne volite,
00:17
but chances are
you use them every single day.
you use them every single day.
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ali verovatno je koristite svakog dana.
00:22
By 2050, researchers estimate
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Istraživači procenjuju
da će do 2050. godine
da će do 2050. godine
00:24
that there will be more plastic
in the ocean than fish.
in the ocean than fish.
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u okeanu biti više plastike nego ribe.
00:29
Despite our best efforts,
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Uprkos našim naporima,
00:30
only nine percent of all plastic we use
winds up being recycled.
winds up being recycled.
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samo devet odsto plastike
koju koristimo bude reciklirano.
koju koristimo bude reciklirano.
00:37
And even worse,
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Što je još gore,
00:38
plastic is incredibly tough and durable
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plastika je neverovatno
čvrsta i izdržljiva
čvrsta i izdržljiva
00:41
and researchers estimate
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i istraživači procenjuju
00:43
that it can take anywhere
from 500 to 5,000 years
from 500 to 5,000 years
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da može potrajati od 500 do 5000 godina
00:47
to fully break down.
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da se u potpunosti razloži.
00:49
It leaches harmful chemical contaminants
into our oceans, our soil,
into our oceans, our soil,
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Izlučuje štetne hemijske zagađivače
u naše okeane, zemljište,
u naše okeane, zemljište,
00:55
our food, our water, and into us.
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našu hranu, vodu i u nas.
01:00
So how did we wind up
with so much plastic waste?
with so much plastic waste?
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Kako smo završili
sa toliko plastičnog otpada?
sa toliko plastičnog otpada?
01:04
Well, it's simple.
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Pa, prosto je.
01:06
Plastic is cheap, durable,
adaptable, and it's everywhere.
adaptable, and it's everywhere.
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Plastika je jeftina, izdržljiva,
prilagodljiva i ima je svuda.
prilagodljiva i ima je svuda.
01:12
But the good news is
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Ali dobra vest je da postoji još nešto
01:14
there's something else that's cheap,
durable, adaptable and everywhere.
durable, adaptable and everywhere.
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što je jeftino, izdržljivo,
prilagodljivo i čega ima svuda.
prilagodljivo i čega ima svuda.
01:18
And my research shows
it may even be able to help us
it may even be able to help us
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Moje istraživanje pokazuje
da nam to nešto čak može pomoći
da nam to nešto čak može pomoći
01:22
with our plastic pollution problem.
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sa našim problemom zagađenja plastikom.
01:25
I'm talking about bacteria.
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Govorim o bakterijama.
01:28
Bacteria are microscopic living beings
invisible to the naked eye
invisible to the naked eye
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Bakterije su mikroskopska stvorenja
koja su nevidljiva golim okom
koja su nevidljiva golim okom
01:33
that live everywhere,
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i koja žive svuda,
01:35
in all sorts of diverse
and extreme environments,
and extreme environments,
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u svim vrstama raznovrsnih
i ekstremnih sredina,
i ekstremnih sredina,
01:38
from the human gut, to soil, to skin,
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od ljudske utrobe, zemlje i kože,
01:42
to vents in the ocean floor, reaching
temperatures of 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
temperatures of 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
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do izvora na dnu okeana, na temperaturama
od 370 stepeni Celzijusa.
od 370 stepeni Celzijusa.
01:46
Bacteria live everywhere,
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Bakterije žive svuda,
01:49
in all sorts of diverse
and extreme environments.
and extreme environments.
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u svim vrstama raznovrsnih
i ekstremnih sredina.
i ekstremnih sredina.
01:52
And as such, they have to get
pretty creative with their food sources.
pretty creative with their food sources.
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Kao takve, moraju biti prilično kreativne
u pogledu svojih izvora hrane.
u pogledu svojih izvora hrane.
01:58
There's also a lot of them.
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Takođe ih je mnogo.
02:00
Researchers estimate that there are
roughly five million trillion trillion --
roughly five million trillion trillion --
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Istraživači procenjuju da ima
oko pet miliona biliona biliona -
oko pet miliona biliona biliona -
02:05
that's a five with 30 zeros after it --
bacteria on the planet.
bacteria on the planet.
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to je petica iza koje je 30 nula -
bakterija na planeti.
bakterija na planeti.
02:11
Now, considering that we humans produce
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S obzirom na to da mi ljudi proizvodimo
02:15
300 million tons of new plastic each year,
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300 miliona tona
nove plastike svake godine,
nove plastike svake godine,
02:19
I'd say that our plastic numbers
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rekla bih da naše brojke
vezane za plastiku
vezane za plastiku
02:21
are looking pretty
comparable to bacteria's.
comparable to bacteria's.
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izgledaju prilično uporedivo
sa bakterijama.
sa bakterijama.
02:25
So, after noticing this
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Pa, nakon što sam ovo primetila
02:28
and after learning
about all of the creative ways
about all of the creative ways
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i nakon što sam saznala
za sve te kreativne načine
za sve te kreativne načine
02:30
that bacteria find food,
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na koje bakterije pronalaze hranu,
02:32
I started to think:
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počela sam da razmišljam:
02:34
could bacteria in
plastic-polluted environments
plastic-polluted environments
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da li bi bakterije u sredinama
zagađenim plastikom mogle
zagađenim plastikom mogle
02:37
have figured out
how to use plastic for food?
how to use plastic for food?
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da otkriju kako da koriste
plastiku u ishrani?
plastiku u ishrani?
02:42
Well, this is the question that I decided
to pursue a couple of years ago.
to pursue a couple of years ago.
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Pa, to je pitanje kojim sam rešila
da se bavim pre par godina.
da se bavim pre par godina.
02:47
Now, fortunately for me,
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Srećom po mene,
02:49
I'm from one of the most
polluted cities in America,
polluted cities in America,
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ja sam iz jednog od najzagađenijih
gradova u Americi,
gradova u Americi,
02:52
Houston, Texas.
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iz Hjustona u Teksasu.
02:54
(Laughs)
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(Smeh)
02:55
In my hometown alone,
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Samo u mom rodnom gradu,
postoji sedam lokacija
postoji sedam lokacija
02:56
there are seven EPA-designated
Superfund sites.
Superfund sites.
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koje je Agencija za zaštitu
životne sredine odredila za čiščenje.
životne sredine odredila za čiščenje.
03:02
These are sites that are so polluted,
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To su lokacije koje su toliko zagađene
03:04
that the government has deemed
their cleanup a national priority.
their cleanup a national priority.
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da vlada smatra njihovo čišćenje
nacionalnim prioritetom.
nacionalnim prioritetom.
03:10
So I decided to trek around to these sites
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Tako da sam odlučila
da odem na ove lokacije
da odem na ove lokacije
03:13
and collect soil samples
teeming with bacteria.
teeming with bacteria.
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i prikupim uzorke zemljišta
koji su prepuni bakterija.
koji su prepuni bakterija.
03:16
I started toying with a protocol,
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Počela sam da se igram sa protokolom,
03:19
which is fancy science talk for a recipe.
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što je pompezni naučni naziv za recept.
03:22
And what I was trying to cook up
was a carbon-free media,
was a carbon-free media,
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A pokušavala sam da napravim
medij bez ugljenika,
medij bez ugljenika,
03:26
or a food-free environment.
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ili sredinu bez hrane.
03:29
An environment without the usual
carbons, or food,
carbons, or food,
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Sredinu bez uobičajenih
ugljenika ili hrane
ugljenika ili hrane
03:31
that bacteria, like us humans,
need to live.
need to live.
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koja je bakterijama, kao i nama,
potrebna da bismo živeli.
potrebna da bismo živeli.
03:36
Now, in this environment,
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U takvoj sredini
03:37
I would provide my bacteria
with a sole carbon, or food, source.
with a sole carbon, or food, source.
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bih svojim bakterijama obezbedila
samo jedan izvor ugljenika, tj. hrane.
samo jedan izvor ugljenika, tj. hrane.
03:42
I would feed my bacteria
polyethylene terephthalate,
polyethylene terephthalate,
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Hranila bih bakterije
polietilenom teraftalatom,
polietilenom teraftalatom,
03:46
or PET plastic.
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ili plastikom PET.
03:49
PET plastic is the most widely produced
plastic in the world.
plastic in the world.
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PET je plastika koja se u svetu
najviše proizvodi.
najviše proizvodi.
03:54
It's used in all sorts
of food and drink containers,
of food and drink containers,
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Koristi se u svim vrstama
posuda za hranu i piće,
posuda za hranu i piće,
03:58
with the most notorious example
being plastic water bottles,
being plastic water bottles,
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a najpoznatiji primer
su plastične flaše za vodu
su plastične flaše za vodu
04:02
of which we humans currently go through
at a rate of one million per minute.
at a rate of one million per minute.
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koje mi ljudi trenutno upotrebljavamo
brzinom od milion po minuti.
brzinom od milion po minuti.
04:10
So, what I would be doing,
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Tako bih u svom radu
04:12
is essentially putting my bacteria
on a forced diet of PET plastic
on a forced diet of PET plastic
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u suštini svojim bakterijama nametnula
ishranu plastikom PET
ishranu plastikom PET
04:17
and seeing which, if any,
might survive or, hopefully, thrive.
might survive or, hopefully, thrive.
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i videla bih da li bi možda neke od njih
preživele ili, nadajmo se, napredovale.
preživele ili, nadajmo se, napredovale.
04:23
See, this type of experiment
would act as a screen
would act as a screen
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Vidite, ova vrsta eksperimenta
bi delovala kao potraga
bi delovala kao potraga
04:25
for bacteria that had adapted
to their plastic-polluted environment
to their plastic-polluted environment
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za bakterijama koje su se adaptirale
na svoju sredinu zagađenu plastikom
na svoju sredinu zagađenu plastikom
04:29
and evolved the incredibly cool
ability to eat PET plastic.
ability to eat PET plastic.
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i razvile neverovatno zanimljivu
sposobnost da jedu plastiku PET.
sposobnost da jedu plastiku PET.
04:35
And using this screen,
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Pomoću ove provere
04:36
I was able to find some bacteria
that had done just that.
that had done just that.
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sam mogla da nađem neke bakterije
koje su upravo to uspele.
koje su upravo to uspele.
04:41
These bacteria had figured out
how to eat PET plastic.
how to eat PET plastic.
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Te bakterije su otkrile
kako da jedu plastiku PET.
kako da jedu plastiku PET.
04:48
So how do these bacteria do this?
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Kako te bakterije to rade?
04:51
Well, it's actually pretty simple.
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Pa, zapravo je prilično jednostavno.
04:54
Just as we humans digest carbon or food
into chunks of sugar
into chunks of sugar
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Baš kao što mi ljudi varimo ugljenik
ili hranu na komade šećera
ili hranu na komade šećera
04:58
that we then use for energy,
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koje zatim koristimo za energiju,
05:00
so too do my bacteria.
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to isto čine i moje bakterije.
05:03
My bacteria, however, have figured out
how to do this digestion process
how to do this digestion process
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Moje bakterije su, međutim,
otkrile kako da vrše varenje
otkrile kako da vrše varenje
05:07
to big, tough, durable PET plastic.
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velike, čvrste, izdržljive plastike PET.
05:12
Now, to do this,
my bacteria use a special version
my bacteria use a special version
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Da bi to radile, moje bakterije
koriste posebnu verziju
koriste posebnu verziju
05:15
of what's called an enzyme.
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onoga što se zove enzim.
05:17
Now, enzymes are simply compounds
that exist in all living things.
that exist in all living things.
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Enzimi su jednostavno jedinjenja
koja postoje u svim živim bićima.
koja postoje u svim živim bićima.
05:21
There are many different types of enzymes,
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Postoji mnogo različitih vrsta enzima,
05:23
but basically, they make
processes go forward,
processes go forward,
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ali u suštini, zahvaljujući njima
se odvijaju procesi
se odvijaju procesi
05:26
such as the digestion of food into energy.
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kao što je pretvaranje hrane u energiju.
05:30
For instance, we humans
have an enzyme called an amylase
have an enzyme called an amylase
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Na primer, mi ljudi imamo enzim
koji se zove amilaza
koji se zove amilaza
05:33
that helps us digest
complex starches, such as bread,
complex starches, such as bread,
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da nam pomaže varenje
složenog skroba kao što je hleb
složenog skroba kao što je hleb
05:37
into small chunks of sugar
that we can then use for energy.
that we can then use for energy.
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u male komade šećera
koje zatim možemo koristiti za energiju.
koje zatim možemo koristiti za energiju.
05:42
Now, my bacteria have
a special enzyme called a lipase
a special enzyme called a lipase
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Moje bakterije imaju
poseban enzim zvan lipaza
poseban enzim zvan lipaza
05:45
that binds to big, tough,
durable PET plastic
durable PET plastic
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koji se vezuje za veliku,
čvrstu, izdržljivu plastiku PET
čvrstu, izdržljivu plastiku PET
05:49
and helps break it
into small chunks of sugar
into small chunks of sugar
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i pomaže da se razloži
na manje komade šećera
na manje komade šećera
05:52
that my bacteria can then use for energy.
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koje moje bakterije potom
mogu koristiti radi energije.
mogu koristiti radi energije.
05:56
So basically,
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Tako da, u suštini,
05:57
PET plastic goes from being
a big, tough, long-lasting pollutant
a big, tough, long-lasting pollutant
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plastika PET od velikog,
čvrstog, dugotrajnog zagađivača
čvrstog, dugotrajnog zagađivača
06:02
to a tasty meal for my bacteria.
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postaje ukusni obrok za moje bakterija.
06:06
Sounds pretty cool, right?
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Zvuči baš super, zar ne?
06:10
And I think, given the current scope
of our plastic pollution problem,
of our plastic pollution problem,
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Imajući u vidu trenutni obim
našeg problema zagađenosti plastikom,
našeg problema zagađenosti plastikom,
06:15
I think it sounds pretty useful.
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mislim da to zvuči baš korisno.
06:18
The statistics I shared with you
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Podaci koje sam podelila sa vama
06:20
on just how much plastic waste
has accumulated on our planet
has accumulated on our planet
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o tome koliko se plastičnog otpada
nakupilo na našoj planeti
nakupilo na našoj planeti
06:24
are daunting.
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su obeshrabrujući.
06:25
They're scary.
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Zastrašujući su.
06:27
And I think they highlight
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I mislim da ističu da,
06:29
that while reducing, reusing
and recycling are important,
and recycling are important,
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mada je važno smanjiti upotrebu plastike,
ponovno je koristiti i reciklirati,
ponovno je koristiti i reciklirati,
06:33
they alone are not going to be enough
to solve this problem.
to solve this problem.
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to samo po sebi nije dovoljno
da bismo rešili ovaj problem.
da bismo rešili ovaj problem.
06:38
And this is where I think bacteria
might be able to help us out.
might be able to help us out.
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A tu mislim da bi bakterije
mogle da nam pomognu.
mogle da nam pomognu.
06:43
But I do understand
why the concept of bacterial help
why the concept of bacterial help
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Ali razumem zašto koncept
pomoći od strane bakterija
pomoći od strane bakterija
06:47
might make some people a little nervous.
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može da unervozi neke ljude.
06:50
After all, if plastic is everywhere
and these bacteria eat plastic,
and these bacteria eat plastic,
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Na kraju krajeva, ako je plastika svuda
i te bakterije jedu plastiku,
i te bakterije jedu plastiku,
06:56
isn't there a risk of these bacteria
getting out in the environment
getting out in the environment
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zar ne postoji rizik da ove bakterije
prodru u životnu sredinu
prodru u životnu sredinu
06:59
and wreaking havoc?
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i opustoše sve pred sobom?
07:02
Well, the short answer is no,
and I'll tell you why.
and I'll tell you why.
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Pa, kratak odgovor je ne,
i reći ću vam zašto.
i reći ću vam zašto.
07:06
These bacteria are already
in the environment.
in the environment.
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Te bakterije se već nalaze
u životnoj sredini.
u životnoj sredini.
07:10
The bacteria in my research
are not genetically modified frankenbugs.
are not genetically modified frankenbugs.
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Bakterije u mom istraživanju nisu
genetski modifikovane Frankenštajn bube.
genetski modifikovane Frankenštajn bube.
07:16
These are naturally occurring bacteria
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To su bakterije koje se javljaju prirodno
07:18
that have simply adapted
to their plastic-polluted environment
to their plastic-polluted environment
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i koje su se jednostavno prilagodile
okolini zagađenoj plastikom
okolini zagađenoj plastikom
07:22
and evolved the incredibly gnarly
ability to eat PET plastic.
ability to eat PET plastic.
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i razvile neverovatno složenu sposobnost
da jedu plastiku PET.
da jedu plastiku PET.
07:28
So the process of bacteria eating plastic
is actually a natural one.
is actually a natural one.
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Dakle, proces da bakterije jedu plastiku
je zapravo prirodan.
je zapravo prirodan.
07:33
But it's an incredibly slow process.
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Ali to je neverovatno spor proces.
07:36
And there remains a lot of work to be done
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Ostaje još dosta posla
07:38
to figure out how to speed up
this process to a useful pace.
this process to a useful pace.
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da bismo otkrili kako da ubrzamo
ovaj proces tako da nam koristi.
ovaj proces tako da nam koristi.
Moje istraživanje trenutno razmatra
načine da to postignemo
načine da to postignemo
07:44
My research is currently
looking at ways of doing this
looking at ways of doing this
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07:46
through a series of UV,
or ultraviolet, pretreatments,
or ultraviolet, pretreatments,
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kroz niz izlaganja UV,
tj. ultraljubičastim zracima,
tj. ultraljubičastim zracima,
07:50
which basically means
we blast PET plastic with sunlight.
we blast PET plastic with sunlight.
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što u suštini znači da obasipamo
plastiku sunčevom svetlošću.
plastiku sunčevom svetlošću.
07:56
We do this because sunlight
acts a bit like tenderizer on a steak,
acts a bit like tenderizer on a steak,
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To radimo zato što sunčeva svetlost
deluje donekle kao čekić za meso,
deluje donekle kao čekić za meso,
08:00
turning the big, tough,
durable bonds in PET plastic
durable bonds in PET plastic
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tako što velike, čvrste,
izdržljive veze u plastici
izdržljive veze u plastici
08:04
a bit softer and a bit easier
for my bacteria to chew on.
for my bacteria to chew on.
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malo omekšava i olakšava
mojim bakterijama da je sažvaću.
mojim bakterijama da je sažvaću.
08:10
Ultimately, what my research hopes to do
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Nada mog istraživanja
je da će se naposletku
je da će se naposletku
08:12
is create an industrial-scale
contained carbon-free system,
contained carbon-free system,
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stvoriti kontrolisani sistem
bez ugljenika velikih dimenzija,
bez ugljenika velikih dimenzija,
08:17
similar to a compost heap,
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slično masi komposta,
08:19
where these bacteria can thrive
in a contained system,
in a contained system,
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gde te bakterije mogu da bujaju
u zatvorenom sistemu,
u zatvorenom sistemu,
08:23
where their sole food source
is PET plastic waste.
is PET plastic waste.
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i gde je plastični otpad
njihov jedini izvor hrane.
njihov jedini izvor hrane.
08:28
Imagine one day being able to dispose
of all of your plastic waste
of all of your plastic waste
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Zamislite da jednog dana
možete da bacite sav svoj plastični otpad
možete da bacite sav svoj plastični otpad
08:33
in a bin at the curb
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u kanti na ivičnjaku
za koju znate da će završiti
za koju znate da će završiti
08:34
that you knew was bound for a dedicated
bacteria-powered plastic waste facility.
bacteria-powered plastic waste facility.
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u namenskom bakterijskom postrojenju
za plastični otpad.
za plastični otpad.
08:41
I think with some hard work
this is an achievable reality.
this is an achievable reality.
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Mislim da je to ostvarivo,
uz izvestan naporni rad.
uz izvestan naporni rad.
08:47
Plastic-eating bacteria is not a cure-all.
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Bakterija koja jede plastiku
nije lek za sve.
nije lek za sve.
08:50
But given the current statistics,
it's clear that we humans,
it's clear that we humans,
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Ali s obzirom na trenutne podatke,
jasno je da bi nama ljudima
jasno je da bi nama ljudima
08:54
we could use a little help
with this problem.
with this problem.
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koristilo malo pomoći oko ovog problema.
08:58
Because people,
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Jer ljudi,
08:59
we possess a pressing problem
of plastic pollution.
of plastic pollution.
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mi imamo gorući problem
plastičnog zagađenja.
plastičnog zagađenja.
09:03
And bacteria might be
a really important part of the solution.
a really important part of the solution.
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A bakterije mogu biti
veoma važan deo rešenja.
veoma važan deo rešenja.
09:07
Thank you.
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Hvala.
09:09
(Applause)
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(Aplauz)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Morgan Vague - Senior researcher assistantBacteria, bugs, germs -- Morgan Vague loves to get in the dirt (literally) to explore solutions to pressing problems.
Why you should listen
Morgan Vague works as a senior research assistant on phase 1 clinical cancer trials, combining her love of scientific research with her passion for healthcare applications. She explore accessible, microbiological solutions to the pollution problems plaguing our planet.
Morgan Vague | Speaker | TED.com