Degradation of plastic waste using stimulated and naturally occurring microbial strains

Taghavi, Navid; Singhal, Naresh; Zhuang, Wei-Qin; Baroutian, Saeid

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127975

Cited by 99 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Earlier work from our group has shown that benzenesulfonic acid with a strong acidity is most likely to be formed as an intermediate molecule during the PPS biodegradation pathway [19]. A low pH condition in the bacterial cytoplasm during PPS depolymerization might have impaired the functions of enzymes involved in energy production and cell division, thus significantly interfering with bacteria growth (Figure 6C) [42]. Therefore, the different chemical structures of PE, PS, PPS and PP required the collaboration of different combinations of enzymes secreted by P. aeruginosa in order to mediate their biodegradation, thus leading to their different biodegradation efficiencies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Evaluation of the Biodegradation Efficiency of Four Various Types of Plastics by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from the Gut Extract of Superworms

et al. 2020

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Plastic waste worldwide is becoming a serious pollution problem for the planet. Various physical and chemical methods have been tested in attempts to remove plastic dumps. However, these have usually resulted in secondary pollution issues. Recently, the biodegradation of plastic by fungal and bacterial strains has been spotlighted as a promising solution to remove plastic wastes without generating secondary pollution. We have previously reported that a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain isolated from the gut of a superworm is capable of biodegrading polystyrene (PS) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). Herein, we demonstrate the extraordinary biodegradative power of P. aeruginosa in efficiently depolymerizing four different types of plastics: PS, PPS, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). We further compared biodegradation rates for these four plastic types and found that PE was biodegraded fastest, whereas the biodegradation of PP was the slowest. Moreover, the growth rates of P. aeruginosa were not always proportional to biodegradation rates, suggesting that the rate of bacterial growth could be influenced by the composition and properties of intermediate molecules produced during plastic biodegradation, and these may supply useful cellular precursors and energy. In conclusion, an initial screening system to select the most suitable bacterial strain to biodegrade certain types of plastic is particularly important and may be necessary to solve plastic waste problems both presently and in the future.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Evaluation of the Biodegradation Efficiency of Four Various Types of Plastics by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from the Gut Extract of Superworms

et al. 2020

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“…Plastic biodegradation by means of enzymes secreted from microorganisms may present a promising, cost-effective means of plastic degradation [ 14 ]. A number of PE-degrading microbes have been isolated from various environments, such as soil, seawater, sludge, compost, and the insect gut [ 15 ]. For example, Yang et al [ 16 ] isolated two PE-degrading bacterial strains ( Enterobacter asburiae YT1 and Bacillus sp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Greater Biofilm Formation and Increased Biodegradation of Polyethylene Film by a Microbial Consortium of Arthrobacter sp. and Streptomyces sp.

et al. 2020

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The widespread use of polyethylene (PE) mulch films has led to a significant accumulation of plastic waste in agricultural soils. The biodegradation of plastic waste by microorganisms promises to provide a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly alternative for mitigating soil plastic pollution. A large number of microorganisms capable of degrading PE have been reported, but degradation may be further enhanced by the cooperative activity of multiple microbial species. Here, two novel strains of Arthrobacter sp. and Streptomyces sp. were isolated from agricultural soils and shown to grow with PE film as a sole carbon source. Arthrobacter sp. mainly grew in the suspension phase of the culture, and Streptomyces sp. formed substantial biofilms on the surface of the PE film, indicating that these strains were of different metabolic types and occupied different microenvironments with contrasting nutritional access. Individual strains were able to degrade the PE film to some extent in a 90-day inoculation experiment, as indicated by decreased hydrophobicity, increased carbonyl index and CO2 evolution, and the formation of biofilms on the film surface. However, a consortium of both strains had a much greater effect on these degradation properties. Together, these results provide new insights into the mechanisms of PE biodegradation by a microbial consortium composed of different types of microbes with possible metabolic complementarities.

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“…Khan, et al, (2017) stated that Aspergillus tubingensis decomposes the polyester polyurethane lm into smaller pieces in a liquid medium after two months. Taghavi, et al, (2021) reported greater surface degradation of plastics under mixed microbial system. They found the greatest weight loss of polyethylene when incubated with A. avus in unstimulated mix condition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…The incessant accumulation of plastic waste is severely affecting both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Yogalakshmi and Singh, 2020;Ali and Shams, 2015;Perkins, 2014;Barnes, 2002). Plastic waste from metropolitan garbage, sewage sludge, and agricultural plastic mulch greatly in uence the soil ecosystem, particularly soil microorganisms (Wanner, 2021;Chae and An, 2018;He, et al, 2018). The growing accumulation of plastic residues in the soils due to the application of plastic mulch in the agricultural lands for increasing the yield is now a global concern, which damages soil health and threatens sustainable food production (Zhang et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degradation of polymers by fungi isolated from dumpsites

Bashir¹,

Shams²,

Ehteshamul‐Haque³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The present study aims at identifying the ability of nine fungal species, which were isolated from garbage of different sites to degrade commonly used polymers, viz. polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyurethane when treated with four methods separately, viz., sterilized and unsterilized drench methods, sterilized and unsterilized mulching methods for four months. All the species considerably degraded the polymers by the above-mentioned methods. However, polystyrene demonstrated the greatest degradation compared to the other two polymers, particularly by sterilized and unsterilized drench methods. Seven fungal species caused greater than 50% weight loss of polystyrene when treated with the above-mentioned methods. Aspergillus flavus instigated the greatest weight loss (74.78 ± 2.85%) by the unsterilized drench method. Of nine, three species caused more than 50% weight loss of polyurethane by the unsterilized drench method. A. niger divulged greater than 50% weight loss of the polymer by sterilized drench method. In this study, polyethylene was found least degraded compared to polystyrene and polyurethane by the selected fungal species. Of nine, only two species, viz. Aspergillus flavus and A. niger caused a higher than 50% weight loss of polyethylene only by sterilized drench method. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of six elevated degraded polymer samples were taken to reveal the formation of spores and hyphae on the surface of the plastic. The images demonstrated the formation of cracks and crevices on the surface of different polymers by spores and the fungal hyphae.

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Degradation of plastic waste using stimulated and naturally occurring microbial strains

Cited by 99 publications

References 49 publications

Evaluation of the Biodegradation Efficiency of Four Various Types of Plastics by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from the Gut Extract of Superworms

Evaluation of the Biodegradation Efficiency of Four Various Types of Plastics by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from the Gut Extract of Superworms

Greater Biofilm Formation and Increased Biodegradation of Polyethylene Film by a Microbial Consortium of Arthrobacter sp. and Streptomyces sp.

Degradation of polymers by fungi isolated from dumpsites

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