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Biodegradation of untreated plasticizers-free linear low-density polyethylene films by marine bacteria
Summary
Researchers isolated marine bacteria from the Tyrrhenian Sea and found that several strains — including Bacillus velezensis and two Vreelandella species — could break down untreated polyethylene plastic films in seawater, causing mass losses of up to 2.6% over 60 days. This is the first study demonstrating that these bacterial species can biodegrade plasticizer-free, unmodified polyethylene, an important step toward understanding natural plastic degradation in oceans.
Polyethylene significantly contributes to marine plastic pollution. This study focuses on isolating bacteria from sea water and microplastic samples collected from the Tyrrhenian Sea and evaluating their ability to degrade virgin plasticizers-free linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) films. The isolates grew on the plastic film under aerobic conditions in shaken flasks leading to LLDPE mass losses of up to 2.597 ± 0.971 % after 60 days incubation. Biofilm formation on the film surface was confirmed by adhered protein quantification while film surface erosion and appearance of functional groups were revealed using SEM and FTIR analyses confirming biodegradation capabilities especially for isolates Bacillus velezensis MT9, Vreelandella venusta MT1 and Vreelandellatitanicae MT11. This is the first report on the biodegradation of plasticizers-free non pretreated LLDPE films by marine Bacillus sp. and Vreelandella sp.; most of the LLDPE biodegradation studies have been so far performed on plasticizer containing, pre-treated, or naturally weathered films.