Abstract
From a selective enrichment culture prepared with different soil samples on starch-containing polyethylene we isolated four microaerophilic microbial communities able to grow on this kind of plastic with no additional carbon source. One consortium, designated community 3S, was tested with pure isotactic polypropylene to determine whether the consortium was able to degrade this polymer. Polypropylene strips were incubated for 5 months in a mineral medium containing sodium lactate and glucose in screw-cap bottles. Dichloromethane crude extracts of the cultures revealed that the weight of extracted materials increased with incubation time, while the polypropylene sample weight decreased. The extracted materials were characterized by performing chromatographic and spectral analyses (thin-layer chromatography, liquid chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, infrared spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance). Three main fractions were detected and analyzed; a mixture of hydrocarbons at different degrees of functionalization was found together with a mixture of aromatic esters, as the plasticizers usually added to polyolefinic structures.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bouvier M., Chawla A. S., Hinberg I. In vitro degradation of a poly(ether urethane) by trypsin. J Biomed Mater Res. 1991 Jun;25(6):773–789. doi: 10.1002/jbm.820250607. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Cole H. A., Wimpenny J. W., Hughes D. E. The ATP pool in Escherichia coli. I. Measurement of the pool using modified luciferase assay. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1967;143(3):445–453. doi: 10.1016/0005-2728(67)90050-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hendriksen H. V., Larsen S., Ahring B. K. Influence of a supplemental carbon source on anaerobic dechlorination of pentachlorophenol in granular sludge. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1992 Jan;58(1):365–370. doi: 10.1128/aem.58.1.365-370.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Imam S. H., Gould J. M. Adhesion of an Amylolytic Arthrobacter sp. to Starch-Containing Plastic Films. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 Apr;56(4):872–876. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.4.872-876.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lee B., Pometto A. L., Fratzke A., Bailey T. B. Biodegradation of degradable plastic polyethylene by phanerochaete and streptomyces species. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1991 Mar;57(3):678–685. doi: 10.1128/aem.57.3.678-685.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Miller T. L., Wolin M. J. A serum bottle modification of the Hungate technique for cultivating obligate anaerobes. Appl Microbiol. 1974 May;27(5):985–987. doi: 10.1128/am.27.5.985-987.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Moore W. E., Hash D. E., Holdeman L. V., Cato E. P. Polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis of soluble proteins for studies of bacterial floras. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1980 Apr;39(4):900–907. doi: 10.1128/aem.39.4.900-907.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pankhurst E. S. A simple culture tube for anaerobic bacteria. Lab Pract. 1967 Jan;16(1):58–59. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pavlostathis S. G., Ping Z. A. Transformation of trichloroethylene by sulfate-reducing cultures enriched from a contaminated subsurface soil. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 1991 Dec;36(3):416–420. doi: 10.1007/BF00208167. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pometto A. L., 3rd, Lee B. T., Johnson K. E. Production of an extracellular polyethylene-degrading enzyme(s) by Streptomyces species. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1992 Feb;58(2):731–733. doi: 10.1128/aem.58.2.731-733.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wasserbauer R., Beranová M., Vancurová D., Dolezel B. Biodegradation of polyethylene foils by bacterial and liver homogenates. Biomaterials. 1990 Jan;11(1):36–40. doi: 10.1016/0142-9612(90)90049-v. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]