Rapid Assay of Plastic Biodegradation Using Simply Fabricated Polyethylene Nanoparticles

Abstract Synthetic polymers, such as polyethylene (PE), are produced daily in large quantities and due to their unique properties, like durability and low cost, consumed in various capacities around the world subsequently accumulating in terrestrial and marine environments. In recent years, the toxicological effects of these plastic particles on the environment, food chain, and public health as well as bioremediation approaches for the removal of these wastes has been the focus of several studies. Easy access to nano and micro sized PE particles in these approaches is crucial and urgent. In this research, we report a simple, fast, cost-effective method for the production of nano polyethylene particles (NPE) which are stable, capable of dispersion in water and without chemical modifications. PE particles were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis. As a result, particles were made with a wide range of sizes 72-1005 nm (but mostly at size of 500 nm) with PDI of 0.88. The non-toxic nature of these nanoparticles for microorganisms were tested by MTT assay. The relevance of this method for the production of NPE is especially prominent in toxicity assessment studies which evaluate the effects of these particles in living organisms. Moreover, this method can be used to generate particles for efficient selection of PE-degrading microorganisms from the environment and scaled up for industrial use to facilitate the degradation process of PE and conversion of wastes to high-value products.