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Mechanistic insights into UV/H2O2-aged polystyrene enable an optimized protocol for fungal biodegradation
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Researchers treated polystyrene plastic film with UV light and hydrogen peroxide, then exposed it to a fungus (Phanerochaete chrysosporium) in lab tests. This pretreatment caused up to 25.75% mass loss and helped the fungus break down the plastic more effectively through several chemical pathways.
Abstract Plastic pollution is a global environmental challenge, yet plastic biodegradation remains inefficient and poorly understood. In this study, a degradation strategy for polystyrene (PS) films was developed by combining ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) pretreatment with subsequent biodegradation by Phanerochaete chrysosporium . UV/H₂O₂ pretreatment proved optimal, resulting in a mass loss of up to 25.75% and inducing the formation of oxygen-containing functional groups, including carbonyl, hydroxyl, and carboxyl groups. These groups act as electron donors, facilitating extracellular enzymatic chain-cleavage reactions, while also promoting fungal colonization and enhancing the activities of manganese peroxidase, lignin peroxidase, and laccase. The pretreated PS was degraded through three main pathways prior to entering the tricarboxylic acid cycle: direct assimilation of carboxylated compounds, enzymatic aromatic ring cleavage, and cytochrome P450-mediated oxidation. Overall, UV/H₂O₂ pretreatment significantly improves surface oxidation, microbial activity, and enzymatic reactivity, offering an effective strategy to accelerate plastic biodegradation.
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Analysis of the degradation of polyethylene, polystyrene and polyurethane mediated by three filamentous fungi isolated from the Antarctica
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Researchers isolated filamentous fungi from Antarctica and tested their ability to degrade polyurethane, polystyrene, and polyethylene in liquid medium, finding that UV pre-treatment of plastics enhanced fungal degradation activity across all three polymer types.
Exploring the mechanisms of humic acid mediated degradation of polystyrene microplastics under ultraviolet light conditions
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Humic acid in water promoted the photodegradation of polystyrene microplastics under UV light by generating higher levels of hydroxyl radicals (0.631 mM), resulting in 4.3% greater weight loss, smaller average particle size (89.5 microns), and more oxygen-containing products compared to UV alone.
Towards microplastic bioremediation: Fungal degradation of pristine and pretreated high-density polyethylene and polystyrene
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Scientists found that a common fungus can break down two of the most widespread plastics (HDPE and PS) into smaller pieces over 70 days, and pre-treating the plastic with UV light (like sunlight exposure) made the fungus even better at breaking it down. This matters because microplastics are showing up in our food, water, and even our bodies, and finding natural, low-cost ways to break them down could help reduce this widespread contamination over time. That said, this is early-stage lab research, so it's not yet a real-world solution for cleaning up plastic pollution.
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