Assessment on the potential of plastics biodegradation by immature rice beetles sitophilus oryzae, (coleoptera curculionidae)

The widespread use of plastics has led to significant environmental issues, necessitating innovative approaches to address their persistence in the environment. This study investigated the potential of rice beetles (Sitophilus oryzae) for the biodegradation of various types of plastics, focusing on their preferences and the biodegradation rates of different plastics. The plastics examined included polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In controlled laboratory experiments, 100 grams of each type of plastic were exposed to rice beetles in glass petri dishes over a period of five days, with detailed recording of any changes in weight. Our findings indicate that the interaction of rice beetles with plastics primarily resulted in slight weight reductions in PE and PS, with reductions of 1.4% and 1.0% respectively. No measurable weight reduction was observed in PP, PET, and PVC. These interactions suggest that the reductions may be more attributable to physical displacement caused by the beetles' activities rather than actual biodegradation. The beetles exhibited a preference for interacting with PE and PS, which could be due to the physical characteristics of these plastics such as their texture and potential odors emitted that attract the beetles