Biodegradation of expanded polystyrene through the application of beetle larvae
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18687/LACCEI2026.1.1.2055Palabras clave:
Biodegradation, expanded polystyrene, Tenebrio molitor, Galleria mellonella, Zophobas morioResumen
This study evaluated the biodegradability of expanded polystyrene (EPS) using Tenebrio molitor, Galleria mellonella, and Zophobas morio larvae, identifying Zophobas morio as the most efficient species, with significantly higher consumption (p<0.05) and 65.64% degradation of EPS, without leaving residual microplastics in the excreta, according to FTIR analysis. The optimal diet for all species consisted of 25% EPS supplemented with wheat bran, suggesting that a nutritional substrate improves intestinal microbial activity and enzymatic degradation. The results support the use of Zophobas morio as a sustainable and effective bioremediation strategy for plastic waste management.
Descargas
Publicado
2026-07-27
Número
Sección
Articles
Derechos de autor
Derechos de autor 2026 LACCEI
Licencia
Esta obra está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional.
LACCEI conserva el copyright de todos los artículos publicados bajo los términos de su acuerdo de transferencia de copyright. Como titular del copyright, LACCEI distribuye los artículos al público bajo la Licencia Internacional Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
Cómo citar
Yucra-Cuba, J., Rosas-Cuadros, A., Ortiz-Valdivia, Y., Tupayachy-Quispe, D., Almirón, J., Chavez, B., & Vargas, M. (2026). Biodegradation of expanded polystyrene through the application of beetle larvae. LACCEI, 1(14). https://doi.org/10.18687/LACCEI2026.1.1.2055