Biodegradation of aliphatic polyesters soaked in deep seawaters and isolation of poly(ɛ-caprolactone)-degrading bacteria

Sekiguchi, Takayoshi; Saika, Azusa; Nomura, Koji; Watanabe, Toshihiro; Watanabe, Tôru; Fujimoto, Yu; Enoki, Makiko; Sato, Takako; Kato, Chiaki; Kanehiro, Haruyuki

doi:10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2011.03.004

Cited by 115 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…It is considered biodegradable in terrestrial environment, with a degradation time of 6–12 days in laboratory conditions43, while some some signs of degradation appeared after 12 months in the marine environment44. PCL fragments were found in 9.5% of our net tows throughout our survey area and its presence in Mediterranean off-shore waters provides further evidence that some “biodegradable plastics” do not readily degrade in natural conditions, thus not representing an a priori solution for reducing marine litter3345.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mediterranean Plastic Soup: synthetic polymers in Mediterranean surface waters

Suaria

Avio

Mineo

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

561

264

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The Mediterranean Sea has been recently proposed as one of the most impacted regions of the world with regards to microplastics, however the polymeric composition of these floating particles is still largely unknown. Here we present the results of a large-scale survey of neustonic micro- and meso-plastics floating in Mediterranean waters, providing the first extensive characterization of their chemical identity as well as detailed information on their abundance and geographical distribution. All particles >700 μm collected in our samples were identified through FT-IR analysis (n = 4050 particles), shedding for the first time light on the polymeric diversity of this emerging pollutant. Sixteen different classes of synthetic materials were identified. Low-density polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene were the most abundant compounds, followed by polyamides, plastic-based paints, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene and polyvinyl alcohol. Less frequent polymers included polyethylene terephthalate, polyisoprene, poly(vinyl stearate), ethylene-vinyl acetate, polyepoxide, paraffin wax and polycaprolactone, a biodegradable polyester reported for the first time floating in off-shore waters. Geographical differences in sample composition were also observed, demonstrating sub-basin scale heterogeneity in plastics distribution and likely reflecting a complex interplay between pollution sources, sinks and residence times of different polymers at sea.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mediterranean Plastic Soup: synthetic polymers in Mediterranean surface waters

Suaria

Avio

Mineo

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

561

264

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“…The reliability of the polymer degradation rate is greatly impacted by the environmental conditions. The marine environment consists of different trophic levels; it is observed that the polyester (PCL, PHB/V) sample was ruined after 12 months incubation in the deep sea (Sekiguchi et al 2011). Hazen et al (2010) reported that the plume of hydrocarbon in sea depths stimulated the growth of ϒ-proteobacteria.…”

Section: Polyestersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ϒ-Proteobacteria was reported as an indigenous petroleum degrading bacteria from the depth of the sea, and such oil contaminated places are known sources for hydrocarbon degrading genes. Sekiguchi et al (2011) reported five bacterial species from the Tenacibaculum, Alcanivorax and Pseudomonas genus for polyester (PCL) degradation. Yagi et al (2014) reported eubacteria and archaea are involved in anaerobic degradation of polyesters (PCL, PLA).…”

Section: Polyestersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, Motiwalla et al (2013) reported Bacillus pumilus for the production of proteases, lipases and PCL degradation. Sekiguchi et al (2011) identified genus Tenacibaculum, Alcanivorax and Pseudomonas from the deep sea environment and reported in vitro biodegradation of PCL. Clostridium botulinum and Alcaligenes faecalis were also recognized for PCL degradation (Caruso 2015;Tokiwa et al 2009).…”

Section: Polylcaprolactonementioning

confidence: 99%

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Review on the current status of polymer degradation: a microbial approach

Pathak

Bithel

2017

Bioresour. Bioprocess.

516

229

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Inertness and the indiscriminate use of synthetic polymers leading to increased land and water pollution are of great concern. Plastic is the most useful synthetic polymer, employed in wide range of applications viz. the packaging industries, agriculture, household practices, etc. Unpredicted use of synthetic polymers is leading towards the accumulation of increased solid waste in the natural environment. This affects the natural system and creates various environmental hazards. Plastics are seen as an environmental threat because they are difficult to degrade. This review describes the occurrence and distribution of microbes that are involved in the degradation of both natural and synthetic polymers. Much interest is generated by the degradation of existing plastics using microorganisms. It seems that biological agents and their metabolic enzymes can be exploited as a potent tool for polymer degradation. Bacterial and fungal species are the most abundant biological agents found in nature and have distinct degradation abilities for natural and synthetic polymers.

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“…Specific adaptations to oligotrophic environments, such as the production of bioflocculants, have been reported in deep sea bacteria and assist in nutrient and carbon sequestration (Wu et al, 2013). Deep sea microbial communities have been reported to decompose biodegradable plastics (Sekiguchi et al, 2011), hydrocarbons, PAHs (Cui et al, 2008;Wang et al, 2008a;Shao et al, 2010) and polychlorinated biphenyls (Froescheis et al, 2000). The microbial community in the bathypelagic environment has been shown to be surprisingly diverse (DeLong et al, 2006;Sogin et al, 2006).…”

Section: Bacterial Life In the Deep Seamentioning

confidence: 99%

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in deep sea sediments: Microbe–pollutant interactions in a remote environment

Louvado

Gomes

Simões

et al. 2015

Science of The Total Environment

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Biodegradation of aliphatic polyesters soaked in deep seawaters and isolation of poly(ɛ-caprolactone)-degrading bacteria

Cited by 115 publications

References 20 publications

The Mediterranean Plastic Soup: synthetic polymers in Mediterranean surface waters

The Mediterranean Plastic Soup: synthetic polymers in Mediterranean surface waters

Review on the current status of polymer degradation: a microbial approach

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in deep sea sediments: Microbe–pollutant interactions in a remote environment

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