We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
In Vitro Degradation of Polyethylene Terephthalate using Pseudomonas species
Summary
Scientists found bacteria in wastewater sludge—naturally occurring, not lab-engineered—that can break down PET plastic (the type used in water bottles), with one strain called *Pseudomonas stutzeri* eating away nearly a third of a plastic sample's weight over two months. This matters because PET plastic breaks down into microplastics that pollute our environment and end up in our food and water, so finding natural microbes that can safely degrade it could lead to more eco-friendly ways to manage plastic waste. Interestingly, combining bacteria didn't work better than using one strain alone, showing that plastic-eating micro
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a significant source of plastic pollution, having many industrial applications but being harmful to the environment and human well-being because of its persistence and crystallinity (~25%). While a few reports have described the degradation of PET using specific enzymes or laboratory-adapted microbial strains, the degradation potential of naturally occurring environmental isolates, particularly from wastewater treatment ecosystems, remains underexplored. This study focused on the isolation of non-engineered environmental strains Pseudomonas mendocina, P. stutzeri, and P. putida from vermifilter wastewater to assess their ability for PET degradation—a novel use of non-engineered environmental strains. Unlike previous studies primarily focused mainly on single strains or engineered microbial systems, this study systematically compares the PET degradation efficiency of individual isolates with defined bacterial consortia to assess whether cooperative interactions enhance degradation. In YSV/MSM media (37°C, 150 rpm, 60 days), P. stutzeri achieved 32 ± 0.005% weight loss (initial 0.022 g, triplicate biological/dupe technical), linked to high biofilm (148 × 10⁴ CFU/mL) and hydrophobicity (68%). P. stutzeri + P. mendocina consortium yielded 16.2 ± 0.002% in MSM, lower than individuals due to surface competition, contrasting with synergistic reports. FTIR showed ester cleavage (1715 → 1713 cm⁻¹ intensity drop).