Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria.
Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Centre for Research in Waste Management, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2018 Feb;127:15-21. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.11.036. Epub 2017 Nov 23.
Interest in the biodegradation of microplastics is due to their ubiquitous distribution, availability, high persistence in the environment and deleterious impact on marine biota. The present study evaluates the growth response and mechanism of polypropylene (PP) degradation by Bacillus sp. strain 27 and Rhodococcus sp. strain 36 isolated from mangrove sediments upon exposure to PP microplastics. Both bacteria strains were able to utilise PP microplastic for growth as confirmed by the reduction of the polymer mass. The weight loss was 6.4% by Rhodococcus sp. strain 36 and 4.0% by Bacillus sp. strain 27 after 40days of incubation. PP biodegradation was further confirmed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses, which revealed structural and morphological changes in the PP microplastics with microbial treatment. These analyses showed that the isolates can colonise, modify and utilise PP microplastics as carbon source.
人们对微塑料的生物降解性很感兴趣，因为它们广泛分布、易于获得、在环境中高度持久，并且对海洋生物群具有有害影响。本研究评估了从红树林沉积物中分离得到的芽孢杆菌菌株 27 和红球菌菌株 36 在暴露于聚丙烯（PP）微塑料时对 PP 降解的生长反应和机制。两种细菌菌株都能够利用 PP 微塑料进行生长，这一点通过聚合物质量的减少得到了证实。经过 40 天的培养，红球菌菌株 36 的失重率为 6.4%，芽孢杆菌菌株 27 的失重率为 4.0%。傅里叶变换红外光谱和扫描电子显微镜分析进一步证实了 PP 的生物降解，这些分析显示，微生物处理会导致 PP 微塑料发生结构和形态变化。这些分析表明，这些分离物可以定殖、修饰和利用 PP 微塑料作为碳源。
