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Effects of Marine Sand on the Microbial Degradation of Biodegradable Plastics in Seawater and Biofilm Communities that Formed on Plastic Surfaces
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This study tested four biodegradable plastics for degradation in seawater with and without marine sand, finding that poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) was the most biodegradable type and that sand addition significantly accelerated its breakdown. The dominant biofilm community on the plastic was Rhodobacteraceae, predicted to contribute to PHBH degradation.
Four types of biodegradable plastics were evaluated for their biodegradability in seawater collected at Ajigaura coast, Japan, in the presence or absence of marine sand. One of the plastics, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH), showed a degree of biodegradation in a seawater sample, and the addition of marine sand markedly accelerated its biodegradation. The addition of marine sand did not affect the bacterial composition of the biofilm that formed on PHBH, and the family Rhodobacteraceae, which was predicted to contribute to the degradation of PHBH, was dominant in biofilm communities regardless of the addition of marine sand. Marine sand may serve as a bacterial source, resulting in the accelerated degradation of PHBH.
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