Pereira, Juraci Duarte; https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9938-5649; http://lattes.cnpq.br/5333112504256880
Abstract:
In 2021, the world generated approximately 139 million metric tons of disposable plastic waste.
The wide variety of polymers that make up plastics makes this material relatively low-cost and
widely used. However, when discarded into the environment, it takes hundreds of years to
decompose. Biodegradation is an alternative to transforming polymers into smaller compounds,
such as Poly(styrene) and Poly(ethylene vinyl acetate), which can mitigate the impacts on the
ecosystem. Studies have shown that insect larvae of the species Tenebrio molitor can chew
plastics and degrade them through the process of symbiosis due to their intestinal microbiota.
Zophobas atratus larvae have characteristics similar to Tenebrio molitor and are at least twice
as large, but they are little explored in biodegradation experiments. These insects are from the
order Coleoptera and family Tenebrionidae and are cosmopolitan. The aim of this study was to
evaluate the ability of Zophobas atratus larvae to biodegrade extruded expanded polystyrene
(XPS) and polyethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) polymers using characterization techniques such
as scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry
and gel permeation chromatography. From the results, it was possible to infer that there was
partial biodegradation of the polymers studied, with greater efficiency for extruded expanded
polystyrene (XPS).
