06/04/08 Plastic Decomposition Break-through

It was so difficult only an 11th grader could figure it out. How to make plastic bags have a faster decomposition rate than the estimated 1,000 years; simple, just figure out what microorganisms in nature actually make plastic disintegrate and enhance the natural process to speed up decomposition. Daniel Burd is the young man from Canada who decided to approach the plastic bag disposal problem as part of his school science project. With the determination and enthusiasm of youth, Daniel set out to pin point the exact microorganisms necessary for decay and actually managed to identify two strains of bacteria that operate as a team to do just that. Daniel also states that industrializing the whole process should be easy, "All you need is a fermenter, your growth medium, your microbes and your plastic bags." Could it really be as simple as that? Could the nation's top scientists not see the forest for the trees? I'm sure hoping that's the case and if so that Daniel Burd receives the kudos and compensation that he so rightly deserves.