Can mealworms live off plastic?

Ajouté : 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]Today we're going to talk about worms and plastic. Meal worms and plastic to be specific. I uh found out that meal worms can somewhat efficiently uh digest plastic and use it for energy.

[00:00:14]>> So like a specific type of plastic or >> Yeah. So the main one I was thinking about was styrofoam.

[00:00:20]>> And in my you know my mind is kind of a weird place. I was like thinking of like this giant endeavor where I could help the world's plastic situation, >> but that's unrealistic and I'm gonna tell everyone why. There is some merit to isolating the bacteria and using that to digest >> extraction or >> like extraction and like >> and then like I don't know breeding >> like breeding. Yeah. In like optimal conditions. But there's actually like um some funguses can can digest plastic as well.

[00:00:55]>> I didn't know that.

[00:00:56]>> Or like break down plastic.

[00:00:58]>> Break it down. Yeah.

[00:00:59]>> Um but but the bacteria is the main one.

[00:01:01]So I don't know if I said this cuz I literally forget everything, but the bacteria is in the mealorm's guts.

[00:01:08]>> So the it's like every living not every living thing, but all like animals pretty much >> have bacteria in their guts like multi big multisellular animals. And the bacteria, most animals, I think all animals are composed of a lot of bacteria >> like around like a lot. Like more than you would think.

[00:01:29]>> Like you mean as a percentage of >> as a percentage. So when you think about it, we're just like one big system.

[00:01:36]>> We're like a bunch of little animals working together to make that system work.

[00:01:42]>> But anyways, that's that's not for today. So today we're going to talk about worms.

[00:01:52]Uh I mean I think we should start with uh like why plastics are so hard to break down compared to like let's say cellulose, right? Like a natural >> fiber. Basically pl That's a great question. Um basically plastics are so hard to to break down because they're new. Humans just made them, >> right? So actually I think it was either cellulose or lignen. I think it's lignen. And when when trees first evolved they evolved lignen.

[00:02:22]>> Mhm.

[00:02:23]>> I think it's lignen. Uh you can check.

[00:02:28]>> Um and it was it was basically impossible for bacteria to break it down >> cuz it it just wasn't used to it.

[00:02:36]>> It was new.

[00:02:36]>> It was new. And so when bacteria could finally break it down. So so actually a lot of our gas comes from that age.

[00:02:46]>> I think it was the cambrian.

[00:02:47]>> Yeah. Uh I actually have no clue. I will put it up though.

[00:02:52]>> Thank you.

[00:02:53]>> Um but yeah, so so that's basically why uh also like plastic has and this is the chemistry part that I don't know that much of >> but from what I could tell plastic has long chains.

[00:03:06]>> Yeah. polymers are like they're all pretty specifically long, right?

[00:03:10]>> So, yeah, synthetic polymers are created. You were exactly right. They're synthetic polymers. They were created by repeating monomers.

[00:03:17]>> Mhm.

[00:03:17]>> But yeah, uh >> and what's a monomer?

[00:03:21]>> Y you're killing me.

[00:03:24]>> A monomer is like a smaller polymer basically. It's like repeating. So, so like CH H8 I think is the monomer for a styrofoam. So, they can take they can break down styrofoam. Now >> these bacteria mean >> these worm bacteria.

[00:03:40]>> Yeah.

[00:03:41]>> The problem is the problem lies in the fact that you basically like you don't really think about it this way but nutrition and energy are kind of different things. So energy, right? You know what I'm saying?

[00:03:54]>> Yeah. No, absolutely. Yeah.

[00:03:55]>> So nutrition is like >> No, it's just like you couldn't live just eating carbs, right? You'd have to >> Yeah. You couldn't live just eating sugar, right? Cuz cuz we we're complex.

[00:04:03]We need things for different parts of our body. So the the meal worms can live energywise off of styrofoam. To give a little background and like a little bit of like clarity, I guess to my crazy wacky idea, I know that you need to make a way of making money in order for it to be viable. Cuz if it doesn't make money, it's not going to work. So what I wanted to do is use the poop as fertilizer >> for plants. And so the cuz poop the >> which is actually a thing, right? France France. It's very high quality. And I was researching all this stuff and then I it's like you you know I was like I came across this and I was like oh yeah that's why it won't work.

[00:04:43]>> Right.

[00:04:43]>> Basically the the energy side of things works >> but when you think about it FRA needs nutrition because it needs nutrients obviously right so without that side you can't make FRA even if you could grow the meal worms from babies into beetles which I don't even know if you could do that. Yeah, because they I mean they need a lot of protein, right? To do that >> protein and protein while they get hydrogen and because like I said the styrofoam is made of hydrogen and carbon.

[00:05:10]>> You did say that. Yeah.

[00:05:11]>> Yeah. Okay.

[00:05:12]>> I mean you said H. Yeah.

[00:05:13]>> Good. Good. I'm losing my mind.

[00:05:16]>> No, cuz you you didn't say specifically it was made out of hydrogen and carbon, but you you said the um like the bonds in it like C was it >> C H8? That's what you said, I believe.

[00:05:26]Yeah. So that's not enough elements to to have a complex system.

[00:05:33]>> Mhm.

[00:05:34]>> Um so yeah, they they that's basically what it comes down to is that even though if they could and that's why the bacteria on its own would be better. Um I don't know how you get money from that. It would be like it would have to be a governmental thing.

[00:05:46]>> Yeah, you probably should be getting grass.

[00:05:48]>> All right, guys.

[00:05:48]>> Yeah. Uh thanks for watching. Like and subscribe.

[00:05:52]>> Yeah, please. Thanks. Bye.