A bacterium that degrades and assimilates poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Abstract

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is used extensively worldwide in plastic products, and its accumulation in the environment has become a global concern. Because the ability to enzymatically degrade PET has been thought to be limited to a few fungal species, biodegradation is not yet a viable remediation or recycling strategy. By screening natural microbial communities exposed to PET in the environment, we isolated a novel bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6, that is able to use PET as its major energy and carbon source. When grown on PET, this strain produces two enzymes capable of hydrolyzing PET and the reaction intermediate, mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalic acid. Both enzymes are required to enzymatically convert PET efficiently into its two environmentally benign monomers, terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol.

Innovative pretreatment strategies for biogas production

“…Recently, some studies were conducted on the biological degradation of traditionally indigestible feedstock for biogas production. For example, a novel bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6, was proven to degrade polyethylene tetraphthalate (PET) (Yoshida et al, 2016). Furthermore, the digestion of cotton/polyester textiles was investigated in another study (Jeihanipour et al, 2013).…”

Microplastic-Associated Biofilms: A Comparison of Freshwater and Marine Environments

“…Investigating this topic could inform the development of solutions to manage plastic pollution by determining how it affects processes including microbially mediated primary production and interactions between plastic-associated ("plastisphere") taxa and other organisms [11,12,16,17]. It could also lead to insights concerning the biodegradability of plastic litter and facilitate the development of new approaches to plastic disposal and/or recycling [18].…”

Screening for Polypropylene Degradation Potential of Bacteria Isolated from Mangrove Ecosystems in Peninsular Malaysia

“…Degradation of other plastic polymers such as polyethylene by B. cereus has been reported [26]. Reference [5] reported the degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by Ideonella sakaiensis.…”

“…After 40 days of incubation, the polypropylene polymer granules were collected and the bacterial films colonizing the polypropylene granule was removed by supplementing washed thoroughly using ethanol and distilled water, dried in hot air oven at 50 o C overnight and the residual weighed was taken [21], [5], [22]. Residual film weight will be calculated using the formula;…”

“…Most plastics dumped on land, shorelines or landfills are carried into the aquatic environment by wind and through runoff [3]. These plastics are not degradable and therefore, persist in the environment and are resistant to degradation by microorganisms as most lack catabolic genes that can break them down [4], [5]. In particular, polypropylene, a versatile polymer that has different applications and serves as both plastic and fibre is one of such.…”