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Degradation of polypropylene and polystyrene micro plastics using novel microbial consortia
Summary
Researchers tested two naturally occurring microbial mixtures and found that a fungal-bacterial consortium could break down roughly 30% of polypropylene and 40% of polystyrene microplastics over 27 months, with bacteria and fungi working together through enzymatic action and surface oxidation. While the timescales and degradation rates are still far from a practical solution, the findings suggest that targeting the right combination of microbes — matched to the specific plastic type — could be the key to future biological plastic cleanup strategies.
The ability of synthetic plastics to resist decomposition by microbes renders their resistance to environmental degradation a major global issue of concern. The possibility of exploring microbial consortia capable of degrading these polymers is a feasible approach to curb the accumulation of plastic. This work is focused to investigate the capability of naturally occurring microbial consortia to degrade polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) microplastics (MPs). Patterns of degradation were also different and depended on the consortia: At 27 months, Consortium A, which comprised of Mucor, Penicillium and Serratia (Yersiniaceae), degraded PP by approximately 30% and Consortium B which included Enterobacter and Aspergillus degraded PS by approximately 40%. Bacteria-fungal interaction synergies promoted enzymatic cleavage and oxidative surface modification during degradation. Our results offer a potential ecological framework of sustainable biodegradation of resistant plastics, which offers a model of polymer-microbe specificity that explains collaborative and adaptive processes of microbial consortia.