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      Plastic agriculture using worms: Augmenting polystyrene consumption and using frass for plant growth towards a zero-waste circular economy.

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            Abstract

            Polystyrene (PS) is one of the major plastics contributing to environmental pollution with its durability and resistance to biodegradation. Recent research has found mealworms ( Tenebrio molitor ) and superworms ( Zophobas morio ) to be able to utilize PS as a carbon food source and degrade them without toxic effects. In this study, the effects of food additives on plastic consumption augmentation were studied, with small additions of sucrose and bran found to increase PS consumption. To close the plastic carbon cycle, we also evaluated the use of worm frass for dragon fruit cacti ( Hylocereus undatus ) growth and found that superworm frass supported rooting and growth better than mealworm frass and control media over a fortnight. Superworms, apart from being known fish and poultry feed, have been shown to be a suitable natural solution to the PS plastic problem that can support plant growth towards a zero-waste sustainable bioremediation cycle.

            Content

            Author and article information

            Journal
            UCL Open: Environment Preprint
            UCL Press
            24 June 2020
            Affiliations
            [1 ] A*STAR
            Author information
            https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9936-5090
            Article
            10.14324/111.444/000048.v1
            165d5757-54b4-4c06-8eb5-2fc2ddf8c3e8

            This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

            History
            : 24 June 2020

            The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
            Entomology,General environmental science,Life sciences
            Biodegradation, Mealworm, Superworm, Frass, Polystyrene, rooting, agricultural support, waste management ,Waste,Environmental science,Circular economy

            Comments

            Decision date: 24/6/2020

            Handling Editor: Dan Osborn

            This article is a preprint article and has not been peer-reviewed. It is under consideration following submission to UCL Open: Environment Preprint for open peer review.

            2020-12-11 12:05 UTC
            +1
            One person recommends this

            Decision date: 10/12/2020

            Handling Editor: Craig Styan

            The Handling Editor requested revisions; the article has been returned to the authors to make this revision.

            2020-12-11 12:04 UTC
            +1
            One person recommends this

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