Biodegradation of UV light treated plastic waste using local bacterial isolates

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

Environment and Water Directorate, Ministry of Science and Technology, P.O. Box.7943, Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

Environmental threats from the accumulation of plastic trash are getting worse.  It is robust, lightweight, corrosion-resistant, affordable, and durable. Microorganisms play a significant role in protecting our environment by degrading plastic wastes that are harmful either naturally or by chemical modification.  The current study aims to investigate the biodegradation of synthetic polyethylene through the utilization of a laboratory bioreactor. Various types of additives were introduced to the soil samples before subjecting them to a 30-day UV treatment. The degradation of polyethylene was shown through a reduction in weight following a 24-week incubation period with certain bacterial strains. Experimental findings have revealed that models subjected to UV radiation exhibit the highest degree of vulnerability and degradation. Approximately 52% of polyethylene (PE) films underwent degradation when exposed to soil enhanced with peat moss. In contrast, only 40% and 45% of PE films were destroyed when subjected to garden soil that was untreated and treated with UV radiation, respectively. In contrast, the addition of husk resulted in a 48% to 53% reduction in weight for PE films that were buried for the same duration of the experiment.  The highest level of effectiveness was achieved by the disintegration of the plastic material that was introduced into the soil along with organic fertilizers, resulting in a value of 56.60%. The weight loss outcomes have been substantiated by the utilization of the Atomic Force Electron Microscope (AFM) images, which exhibited the highest magnitude in the experimental model using soil supplemented with fertilizers.

Keywords

Main Subjects


Advancing Sustainable Materials Management:(2014). Fact Sheet; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2016.
Albertsson, A. C., Barenstedt, C., & Karlsson, S. (1994). Abiotic degradation products from enhanced environmentally degraded polyethylene. Acta Polymerica, 45(2), 97-103.
Al-dahan, A.K.H., Al-Aadhami, M.A.,  & Hassan, R.A. (2022). Effect of Adding Green Syntheses Copper Nanoparticles and Experiment Conditions on Live Blood Cells. AIP Conference Proceedings 2660, (020007),1-6.
Azimi, B., Nourpanah, P., Rabiee, M., & Arbab, S. (2014). Poly (Lactideco- glycolide) Fiber: An Overview. J. Eng. Fibers Fabr.  9 (1), 47− 66.
Bonhomme, S.,  Cuer, A., Delort A.M., Lemaire,J., Sancelme, M., &   Scott, G.  (2003). Environmental biodegradation of polyethylene. Polymer Degradation and Stability 81: 441-452.
Craig, I. H., White, J. R., Shyichuk, A.V., & Syrotynska, I. (2005). Photo- Induced Scission and Crosslinking in LDPE, LLDPE, and HDPE. Polym. Eng. Sci. 45 (4), 579−587.
Darby, D. (2012). Compostable plastics and environmental marketing claims. Biocycle, 53(10): 53.
Erlandsson, B., Karlson, S., & Albertsson, A.C. (1997). The mode of action of corn starch and a pro-oxidant system in LDPE.
Gerhardt, P., Murray, R.G.E., Costilow, R.N., Nester, E.W., Wood, W.A., Krieg, N.R., & Phillips, G.B. Eds. (1981). Manual of methods for general bacteriology. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.
Grassie, N., & Scott, G. (1988). Polymer Degradation and Stabilisation; Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.
Greene, J.  (2007). Biodegradation of compostable plastics in green yard-waste compost environment. Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 15(4), 269-273.
 Gross, R. A., & Kalra, B. (2002). Biodegradable Polymers for the Environment. Science 297, 803-807
Gu, J.D. (2003). Microbiological deterioration and degradation of synthetic polymeric materials: recent research advances. Int Biodeterior Biodegrad 52,69-91.
Howard, G.T. (2002). Biodegradation of polyurethane: a review. Int Biodeter Biodegrad; 40:245–52.
Kumaravel, S., Hema, R., & Lakshmi, R. (2010). Production of Polyhydroxybutyrate (Bioplastic) and its Biodegradation by Pseudomonas Lemoignei and Aspergillus Niger. J Chem 7, S536-S542. 
Kyrikou, I., & Briassoulis, D. (2007). Biodegradation of agricultural plastic films: a critical review. Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 15(2), 125-150.
Lambert, S., & Wagner, M. (2016). Formation of Microscopic Particles during the Degradation of Different Polymers. Chemosphere. 161, 510−517.
Mohan, S.K., & Srivastava, T. (2010). Microbial deterioration and degradation of polymeric materials. J Biochem Technol 2,210-215. 
Mousa, N., Ali, A., & Hussein, M. (2019). Bacillus Megaterium biodegradation Glycophate . Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 50(6),1674-1680
Rabek, J. F. (1995). Polymer Photodegradation: Mechanisms and Experimental Methods; Chapman & Hall: London.
Rydz, J., Zawidlak-Wegrzynska, B., & Christova, D. (2015). Degradable Polymers. In Encyclopedia of Biomedical Polymers and Polymeric Biomaterials, Mishra MK (Ed.). Taylor & Francis Inc. CRC Press. 2327-2349.
Sowmya, H., Ramalingappa, M.K., & Thippeswamy, B. (2014). Biodegradation of Polyethylene by Bacillus cereus. Adv Polym Sci Technol Int J . 4, 28-32.
Stevens, E.S., & Goldstein N. (2002). How green are green plastics? BioCycle, 43(12), 42-45.
Stevens, E.S., (2002). Green plastics: an introduction to the new science of biodegradable plastics. Oxford: Princeton University Press, Princeton, 238.
Thompson, R. C., Swan, S. H., Moore, C. J., & vom Saal, F. S. (2009). Our Plastic Age. Philos. Trans. R. Soc., B.364 (1526), 1973−1976.
Yabannavar, A. V., & Bartha, R. (1994). Methods for Assessment of Biodegradability of Plastic Films in Soil. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60 (10), 3608−3614.