ʻO kekahi o nā ʻenekini o ka hoʻomohala hoʻokele waiwai i ka hapa ʻelua o ke kenekulia i hala he plastics. He ʻuʻuku lākou, maʻalahi ka hana ʻana, kūpaʻa, elastic a, inā wehe ʻia, akaka, akā he ʻaoʻao-b ko lākou, ʻoiai ʻaʻole lākou biodegradable, ʻoiai ʻaʻohe mea ola e hiki ke hānai iā lākou.
ʻO ko lākou lōʻihi lōʻihi, ʻo ia kekahi o nā pilikia nui a mākou e kū nei, no ka mea, ʻo ka liʻiliʻi o ʻehā haneli a me kanalima mau makahiki pono e hala no nā polymers e hoʻomaka i ke kaʻina o ka disintegration ma ka pae mole.
Ua manaʻo ʻia ʻoi aku ma mua o 300 miliona mau tons plastic i hana ʻia ma ka honua holoʻokoʻa, nona ka 90% i loaʻa mai ka aila a ʻo kahi hapa liʻiliʻi, ma kahi o 15%, e hoʻihoʻi ʻia a hoʻihoʻi ʻia ma ka pae honua.
Ma loko o ia huina kilo, he awelika o ʻewalu miliona mau tona e lana ana i kēlā me kēia makahiki i loko o ko kākou moana, kahi e pohō ai, e hōʻiliʻili ai i loko o ka sediment a i ʻole e hoʻokomo ʻia i loko o ke kaulahao meaʻai kanaka.
ʻAʻole ʻokoʻa nā wānana no ka wā pōkole, manaʻo kekahi mau leo mana i ka makahiki 2050 e hiki i ka hana ʻana o ka ʻōpala plastik i ʻumikumamākolu biliona tons. ʻO kahi kiʻi, me ke kānalua ʻole, e koi iā mākou e hana i nā hana ikaika a me ka wikiwiki.
Mahalo i ka makahiki 2016 ua ʻike mākou i ke ola ʻana o kahi hoa pili a, e like me ka mea i hana ʻia i nā manawa he nui i ka mōʻaukala o ka ʻepekema, he mea nui ka serendipity. I kēia makahiki ua noiʻi kekahi pūʻulu ʻepekema Kepani i nā kolone bacteria ma kahi mea kanu hana hou ma ke kūlanakauhale ʻo Sakai, Iapana. I loko o kēia manawa, ua kālailai mākou i nā hua bacteria i unuhi ʻia mai nā koena polyethylene terephthalate (PET) me ka ʻāpana (ethylene glycol a me terephthalic acid).
Pīhoihoi lākou, ua ʻike lākou he mea hiki ke hoʻohana i kahi hua bacteria, i kapa ʻia ʻo Ideonella sakaiensis, ke hoʻohana i ka PET ma ke ʻano he kumu kalapona mua. I kekahi manawa ma hope mai ua hiki ke hōʻike i ka microorganism he ʻelua mau genes nui e hiki ke 'ʻai' i ka PET: he PETase a me kahi mono(2-hiroexieethyl) terephthalate hydrolase.
He hopena manaʻolana
ʻO ka loaʻa ʻana o ke kaulahao metabolic i hiki ai ke wehewehe i ke kumu i hoʻokumu ai ʻo Ideonella i kona noho ʻana i kahi mea kanu hana hou, akā ʻo ka mea i koe e wehe ʻia, ʻo ia ke ala i ulu ai ka maʻi bacteria e hoʻohuli i kahi plastic, i hoʻopaʻa ʻia i ka ʻumi makahiki o nā kanahā o ke kenekulia i hala, ma kāna kumu ʻai.
Hiki i ka bacteria ke hoʻololi i ka PET i poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) - i ʻike ʻia ʻo PHB - ʻo ia ke ʻano o ka plastic biodegradable. ʻO ka hoʻopiʻi ʻana o kēia moʻolelo ʻo ia ka PET i manaʻo ʻia e hoʻohaʻahaʻa i ka 0,13 mg o ke kenimika square i kēlā me kēia lā, ma kahi mahana o 30°C, kahi wikiwiki o ka wehe ʻana e lilo i 'lohi loa'.
Ua ʻakaʻaka hou ʻo Luck iā mākou i ka makahiki 2018 i ka wā i hoʻolālā ʻole ai nā mea noiʻi ma Postmouth University (UK) i kahi enzyme e hoʻonui ai i ka PETase bacteria.
I kēia manawa, ua hoʻāʻo ʻia e hana i kahi hana hou aʻe e hoʻonui i kāna huahana ma ka 'hoʻokomo ʻana' i ka enzyme mutant i loko o kahi huakini extremophile, hiki ke kū i nā mahana ma luna o 70ºC, kahi kiʻi kahi i ʻoi aku ka viscous PET. Hiki i kēia 'hoʻololi' ke wikiwiki i ka hana hoʻohaʻahaʻa a hiki i ka 10%.
Hiki i kēia mau ʻike a pau ke hāʻawi iā mākou i kahi hoʻomaha a wehe i ka puka makani o ka manaʻolana, ʻoiai ʻo ka bacteria 'ʻai i nā plastics' he ʻāpana ia o ka hopena i ka pilikia kaiapuni i hoʻokumu ʻia e nā plastics.
Mr Jara
He kanaka lapaʻau ʻo Pedro Gargantilla ma El Escorial Hospital (Madrid) a me ka mea kākau o kekahi mau puke kaulana.
