Arshad Iqra, Sajid Sumbal, Yu Qin, Li Jin, Zveushe Obey Kudakwashe, Rehman Saeed, Lal Meghwar Madan, Atakpa Edidiong Okokon, Chen Xingxu, Zhang Wei, Zhenzhen Lv, Lei Zhou, Bainian Zhang, Dong Faqin, Han Ying
College of Life Sciences and Agri-forestry, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China; Engineering Research Center of Biomass Materials, Ministry of Education, China.
Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Binhai 2nd Road, Shenzhen 518120, China; Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.
J Hazard Mater. 2025 Sep 15;496:139217. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139217. Epub 2025 Jul 10.
The contamination of water bodies by polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) microplastics (MPs) represents a growing environmental concern worldwide. Biodegradation offers a sustainable solution for mitigating this pollution, but is often hindered by slow degradation rates. This study investigates the combined use of novel fungal consortia QMFC1 and QMFC2 [comprising Aspergillus niger, Cunninghamella elegans (reported here for the first time for MPs degradation), and Aspergillus flavus] and pectin-biochar beads (PBBs) to enhance the degradation of PE and PP in contaminated water. Over 30 days, treatments integrating fungal consortia with PBBs achieved significant weight loss of 56 % for PE and 44 % for PP, exceeding the degradation observed with fungal consortia alone. The synergistic effect of fungal consortia and PBBs enhanced fungal biomass production and enzymatic efficiency. The enzymatic activities of lipase, laccase, and manganese peroxidase increased substantially in these treatments, promoting polymer breakdown. Morphological changes such as cracks and pits on MPs' surfaces were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. At the same time, chemical modifications including the formation of hydroxyl (-OH), carbonyl (CO), and ether (C-O) groups were detected via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and supported by reductions in crystallinity from X-ray diffraction analysis. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the presence of shorter-chain degradation byproducts, indicating effective polymer depolymerization and transformation into less harmful compounds. This integrated biotechnological approach represents a promising, eco-friendly solution for MPs pollution in aquatic environments. Our findings provide valuable insights into the degradation mechanisms and metabolic pathways, paving the way for scalable and effective bioremediation strategies against MPs in water systems.
聚乙烯（PE）和聚丙烯（PP）微塑料（MPs）对水体的污染已成为全球日益严重的环境问题。生物降解为减轻这种污染提供了一种可持续的解决方案，但降解速度往往较慢。本研究探讨了新型真菌菌群QMFC1和QMFC2（由黑曲霉、秀丽隐球菌（首次报道可降解微塑料）和黄曲霉组成）与果胶生物炭珠（PBBs）联合使用对受污染水中PE和PP降解的促进作用。在30天的时间里，将真菌菌群与PBBs结合的处理使PE的重量损失显著达到56%，PP达到44%，超过了单独使用真菌菌群时观察到的降解程度。真菌菌群和PBBs的协同作用提高了真菌生物量的产生和酶促效率。在这些处理中，脂肪酶、漆酶和锰过氧化物酶的酶活性大幅增加，促进了聚合物的分解。通过扫描电子显微镜证实了微塑料表面出现裂纹和凹坑等形态变化。同时，通过傅里叶变换红外光谱检测到包括羟基（-OH）、羰基（CO）和醚基（C-O）形成在内的化学修饰，并得到X射线衍射分析结晶度降低的支持。气相色谱-质谱联用分析表明存在短链降解副产物，表明聚合物有效解聚并转化为危害较小的化合物。这种综合生物技术方法为解决水生环境中的微塑料污染提供了一种有前景的、环保的解决方案。我们的研究结果为降解机制和代谢途径提供了有价值的见解，为水系统中针对微塑料的可扩展且有效的生物修复策略铺平了道路。
