Scientists use bacteria to convert plastic into paracetamol
https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-06-23/scientists-use-bacteria-to-convert-plastic-into-paracetamol.html
Scientists use bacteria to convert plastic into paracetamol
For the first time, a scientific study has succeeded in using live microbes to produce medicine by digesting and fermenting waste
FACUNDO MACCHI
JUN 23, 2025 - 12:23 EDT
A bacterium eats a plastic bottle and, once the waste is inside its structure, the cell ferments it as if it were beer and turns it into paracetamol. Thats a simplified summary of a scientific study published Monday in the journal Nature in which classical chemistry is used in a completely new way for the first time, according to lead author Stephen Wallace. He explains the breakthrough: By using living microbes, we performed sophisticated chemical transformations, which could open up new, greener, and more sustainable ways to produce valuable materials, such as medicines, from waste.
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