Yellow
mealworms (larvae of Tenebrio molitor, Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) have been proven to be capable of biodegrading
polystyrene (PS) products. Using four geographic sources, we found
that dark mealworms (larvae of Tenebrio obscurus) ate PS as well. We subsequently tested T. obscurus from Shandong, China for PS degradation capability. Our results
demonstrated the ability for PS degradation within the gut of T. obscurus at greater rates than T. molitor. With expanded PS foam as the sole diet,
the specific PS consumption rates for T. obscurus and T. molitor at similar sizes (2.0
cm, 62–64 mg per larva) were 32.44 ± 0.51 and 24.30 ±
1.34 mg 100 larvae–1 d–1, respectively.
After 31 days, the molecular weight (M
n) of residual PS in frass (excrement) of T. obscurus decreased by 26.03%, remarkably higher than that of T. molitor (11.67%). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
(FTIR) indicated formation of functional groups of intermediates and
chemical modification. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) suggested
that T. obscurus larvae degraded PS
effectively based on the proportion of PS residue. Co-fed corn flour
to T. obscurus and wheat bran to T. molitor increased total PS consumption by 11.6%
and 15.2%, respectively. Antibiotic gentamicin almost completely inhibited
PS depolymerization. High-throughput sequencing revealed significant
shifts in the gut microbial community in both Tenebrio species that were associated with the PS diet and PS biodegradation,
with changes in three predominant families (Enterobacteriaceae, Spiroplasmataceae,
and Enterococcaceae). The results indicate that PS biodegradability
may be ubiquitous within the Tenebrio genus which could provide a bioresource for plastic waste biodegradation.
Pd(II)-catalyzed enantioselective C–H activation of phenylacetic acids followed by an intramolecular C–O bond formation afforded chiral benzofuranones. This reaction provides the first example of enantioselecctive C–H functionalizations through Pd(II)/Pd(IV) redox catalysis.
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