Xavier Elsy, Raghavendra Nulgumnalli Manjunathaiah, Tiwari Prashant
Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dayananda Sagar University, Bengaluru South, 562112, India.
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dayananda Sagar University, Bengaluru South, 562112, India.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2025 Aug 12. doi: 10.1007/s11356-025-36845-y.
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which is reported to be widely used in markets and households, is piling up in landfills, undegraded. Previous researchers reported the polyphenolic degradation of plastics, theoretically. In view of the aforementioned report, the present study investigated the plastic (LDPE) degradation potential of the phytoconstituents of Curcuma longa L. (turmeric) rhizome. Turmeric powder, curcuminoids, curcumin I, curcumin II, and curcumin III were kept in separate pouches made out of LDPE sheets for a period of 80 days. The extent of degradation of the sheets was analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). The formation of holes on the treated sheets provides first-hand evidence of the potential of the phytochemicals to degrade LDPE. The percentage transmittance (%T) intensity (FTIR spectra) at the band 2900-2930 cm for the sheets treated with curcumin III is 0.20 ± 0.16, which is directly proportional to the concentration of the LDPE present in the sample. The EDAX reports show a decrease in weight percentage and atomic percentage for carbon and an increase for the same for oxygen, in all the treated samples. The aforementioned test results and the virtual (docking) study results establish that the phytoconstituents of C. longa rhizome have the potential to degrade LDPE. The highest rate of degradation is noticed in curcumin III (70-80 days) followed by curcuminoids and was validated through SEM. Thus, the current study, which is the first of its kind to employ phytophenols for LDPE biodegradation, may provide insights for eco-friendly and cost-effective sustainable plastic waste management.
据报道，低密度聚乙烯（LDPE）在市场和家庭中广泛使用，却在垃圾填埋场堆积，未被降解。先前的研究人员从理论上报道了塑料的多酚降解。鉴于上述报告，本研究调查了姜黄根茎植物成分对塑料（LDPE）的降解潜力。将姜黄粉、姜黄素类、姜黄素I、姜黄素II和姜黄素III分别置于由LDPE片材制成的单独小袋中80天。使用傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和能量色散X射线分析（EDAX）分析片材的降解程度。处理过的片材上形成的孔洞为植物化学物质降解LDPE的潜力提供了第一手证据。用姜黄素III处理的片材在2900 - 2930 cm波段的百分透过率（%T）强度为0.20±0.16，这与样品中存在的LDPE浓度成正比。EDAX报告显示，在所有处理过的样品中，碳的重量百分比和原子百分比下降，而氧的则增加。上述测试结果和虚拟（对接）研究结果表明，姜黄根茎的植物成分具有降解LDPE的潜力。在姜黄素III中观察到最高的降解率（70 - 80天），其次是姜黄素类，并且通过SEM得到了验证。因此，本研究作为首次使用植物酚进行LDPE生物降解的研究，可能为环保且经济高效的可持续塑料废物管理提供见解。
