Living Plastic
Activate engineered bacteria and watch self-destructing living plastic dissolve in six simulated days — no solvents, no pollution, no microplastics. Click the canvas to seed colonies anywhere. Inspired by July 2026 research creating a living material where embedded bacteria fully degrade the polymer matrix on command.
Plastic remaining
100%
Degraded
0%
Sim day
0.0 / 6
Colonies
0
speed
click "activate bacteria" — or click anywhere on the canvas to plant a colony
Degradation pathway
Six days, zero traceAt room temperature and with no added chemicals, embedded bacteria completely degraded the plastic matrix in six days — leaving only CO₂, water, and microbial biomass, with no toxic residue or microplastic fragments.
On-demand triggerThe bacteria remain dormant inside the plastic during normal use. A specific signal — a temperature rise, pH shift, or introduced chemical — activates them, giving precise control over when and where degradation begins.
Enzymatic chain reactionOnce active, bacteria secrete lipases and esterases that cleave the polymer's ester bonds, breaking long chains into oligomers, then monomers, which are metabolized through β-oxidation and the citric acid cycle.
Why it changes the calculusConventional plastics persist for centuries and shed microplastics. This living material can be designed to degrade on schedule in controlled conditions — a packaging item that self-destructs after use, no collection required.