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Sustainable solution for microplastic removal: Sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortia
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Researchers developed a two-stage approach using natural microbial communities to break down PET microplastics and neutralize their toxic byproducts. The first bacterial-fungal group achieved 28% degradation over 60 days, while a second group of bacteria further processed the breakdown products, reducing their toxicity. The study demonstrates that sequential microbial treatment could be a practical, eco-friendly strategy for addressing PET microplastic pollution.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used plastic polymer, and its microplastics pose significant threats to ecosystems. One promising approach to addressing this issue is biodegradation using microbial consortia. This study implemented a two-stage biodegradation strategy using microbial consortia to degrade PET microplastics and detoxify their by-products. In the first stage, a bacterial/fungal consortium dominated by Ralstonia, Bradyrhizobium, Exophiala, and Vanrija achieved a 28 ± 2 % degradation efficiency over 60 days, converting PET into medium-chain alkanes (as confirmed by GC-MS analysis), with a maximum CO evolution rate of 722 ppm. Physical and chemical analyses, including Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, revealed structural destruction, mesopore formation, and ester bond breakage of the microplastics. Toxicity assessment of by-products showed a 40 % reduction in human endothelial cell viability, necessitating further detoxification. The second stage utilized a bacterial consortium dominated by Ochrobacterium and Achromobacter, which effectively reduced toxic by-products to 20 %. This study emphasizes the dual focus on efficient PET degradation and the safe decomposition of harmful by-products, showcasing the potential of sequential biodegradation strategies as sustainable solutions for microplastic pollution.
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