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A stable isotope assay with 13C-labeled polyethylene to investigate plastic mineralization mediated by Rhodococcus ruber
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Researchers developed a novel method using carbon-13-labeled polyethylene to precisely measure microbial plastic degradation rates. Using the bacterium Rhodococcus ruber as a model organism, they demonstrated mineralization rates of up to 1.2 percent per year for UV-treated polyethylene particles. The study establishes stable isotope tracing as a valuable tool for unambiguously proving and quantifying microbial plastic degradation.
Methods that unambiguously prove microbial plastic degradation and allow for quantification of degradation rates are necessary to constrain the influence of microbial degradation on the marine plastic budget. We developed an assay based on stable isotope tracer techniques to determine microbial plastic mineralization rates in liquid medium on a lab scale. For the experiments, 13C-labeled polyethylene (13C-PE) particles (irradiated with UV-light to mimic exposure of floating plastic to sunlight) were incubated in liquid medium with Rhodococcus ruber as a model organism for proof of principle. The transfer of 13C from 13C-PE into the gaseous and dissolved CO2 pools translated to microbially mediated mineralization rates of up to 1.2 % yr-1 of the added PE. After incubation, we also found highly 13C-enriched membrane fatty acids of R. ruber including compounds involved in cellular stress responses. We demonstrated that isotope tracer techniques are a valuable tool to detect and quantify microbial plastic degradation.
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Using carbon-13 isotope tracing, researchers confirmed that the marine bacterium Bacillus velezensis MT9 can genuinely mineralize polyethylene — converting solid plastic into carbon dioxide — with UV pre-treatment of the plastic enhancing degradation. This is direct evidence of true bacterial biodegradation of the world's most abundant plastic, offering a potential biological route for remediating PE microplastics in marine environments.
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Researchers used DNA-stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) with 13C-labeled polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) to identify, for the first time, the specific marine bacteria responsible for plastic biodegradation, pinpointing key degraders including Marinobacter sp., Cellvibrionaceae, and several other genera over a 90-day incubation period.
Biodegradation of microplastic in freshwaters: A long‐lasting process affected by the lake microbiome
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Researchers used carbon-13-labelled polyethylene microplastics and stable isotope analysis to investigate biodegradation in freshwater lake environments, finding that while the lake microbiome can degrade polyethylene, the process is extremely slow and affected by the composition of the microbial community.
Degradation of conventional, biodegradable and oxo-degradable microplastics in a soil using a d13C technique
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Scientists tracked how four types of plastic — a conventional bag, two biodegradable plastics, and an oxo-degradable straw — break down in soil over 185 days using a carbon isotope technique. Even the most degradable plastic (a biodegradable bin liner) only mineralised 5.7% of its carbon, while conventional plastic bags barely degraded at 0.3%. Crucially, all plastics also triggered a 'priming effect' that accelerated the breakdown of existing soil organic carbon, meaning microplastics don't just persist — they alter the soil chemistry around them.
Quantification of polystyrene plastics degradation using 14C isotope tracer technique
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Researchers described how carbon isotope tracing can be used to quantitatively track the degradation of polystyrene plastics in complex environmental samples. This technique can help researchers understand how slowly conventional plastics break down in the environment and what breakdown products they produce.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.