 "Can bacteria offer remedy for plastic waste?")
According to a study published in the Science magazine, Japanese researchers have discovered a microbe, Ideonella sakaiensis, which feeds on plastics, potentially offering a sustainable solution for solving the menace of plastic waste.
The proliferation of plastics in consumer products, from bottles to clothing, has resulted in the release of countless tonnes of plastics into the environment. A team of researchers from Kyoto University have found that bacteria isolated from outside a bottle recycling facility can break down and metabolise plastic.
Till now, it was believed that only a few fungal species, and not bacteria, were capable of enzymatically degrading polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a polymer is used extensively worldwide in plastic products. Hence, biodegradation was not being considered as a viable remediation or recycling strategy. However, the Japanese research team has showed that the biodegradation of PET by specialised bacteria can be a viable bioremediation strategy.
“The new species, Ideonella sakaiensis, breaks down the plastic by using two enzymes to hydrolyze PET and a primary reaction intermediate, eventually yielding basic building blocks for growth,” added the report.
Scientist believe that the new bacteria may have developed this capability over the years after being exposed to plastic waste, since plastics were only developed in the 1940s. If commercialised on a large scale, Ideonella sakaiensis can offer environment-friendly solution to deal with PET accumulation in the environment, which has become a global concern.
The proliferation of plastics in consumer products, from bottles to clothing, has resulted in the release of countless tonnes of plastics into the environment. A team of researchers from Kyoto University have found that bacteria isolated from outside a bottle recycling facility can break down and metabolise plastic.
Till now, it was believed that only a few fungal species, and not bacteria, were capable of enzymatically degrading polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a polymer is used extensively worldwide in plastic products. Hence, biodegradation was not being considered as a viable remediation or recycling strategy. However, the Japanese research team has showed that the biodegradation of PET by specialised bacteria can be a viable bioremediation strategy.
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By screening natural microbial communities exposed to PET in the environment, the research team was able to isolate a novel bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6, which is able to use PET as its major energy and carbon source. When grown on PET, this strain produced two enzymes capable of hydrolysing PET and the reaction intermediate, mono (2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalic acid. Both enzymes are required to enzymatically convert PET efficiently into its two environmentally benign monomers, terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol.
“The new species, Ideonella sakaiensis, breaks down the plastic by using two enzymes to hydrolyze PET and a primary reaction intermediate, eventually yielding basic building blocks for growth,” added the report.
Scientist believe that the new bacteria may have developed this capability over the years after being exposed to plastic waste, since plastics were only developed in the 1940s. If commercialised on a large scale, Ideonella sakaiensis can offer environment-friendly solution to deal with PET accumulation in the environment, which has become a global concern.