• zxqwas@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I’m fairly sure you would not want to break them down so your body could absorb whatever is in them more easily.

  • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.club
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    30 days ago

    You would need a solvent that would break down organic molecules that create the strength for plastic. Acid isn’t good at breaking that down.

    Any material that could break down plastic would also break down everything that makes food useful for a body.

    • TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip
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      30 days ago

      You could make them capable of eating plastic, but what would the byproducts be? You would need to make sure the byproducts aren’t toxic.

        • TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip
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          30 days ago

          If they live in the presence of HCl, they could also make some fun organichlorides. Those products could be simple organic solvents that damage the cell membranes. They could also be more or less toxic compounds, maybe even comparable with chemical weapons. Organic chemistry is full of options.

  • djsoren19@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    30 days ago

    I think the problem is that any acid strong enough to break down the bonds of plastic would be too strong to comfortably sit in our stomachs.

    Maybe you could add some of those plastic eating bacteria with like an artificial fecal transplant? Not sure what the consequences of introducing those to a gut biome would be.