Abstract
Plastic polymers are widely used in agriculture, industry, and our daily life because of their convenient and economic properties. However, pollution caused by plastic polymers, especially polyethylene (PE), affects both animal and human health when they aggregate in the environment, as they are not easily degraded under natural conditions. In this study, Enterobacter sp. D1 was isolated from the guts of wax moth (Galleria mellonella). Microbial colonies formed around a PE film after 14 days of cultivation with D1. Roughness, depressions, and cracks were detected on the surface of the PE film by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed the presence of carbonyl functional groups and ether groups on the PE film that was treated with D1. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) also revealed that the contents of certain alcohols, esters, and acids were increased as a result of the D1 treatment, indicating that oxidation reaction occurred on the surface of the PE film treated with D1 bacteria. These observations confirmed that D1 bacteria has an ability to degrade PE.
Highlights
Plastic polymers have advantages of ductility, durability, and low cost, and are commonly used in agricultural films and food packaging
Following a 31-day cultivation, four strains were screened that could grow in the LPEM containing
The colonization of D1 was observed around the PE film on the APEM on day 14 of the cultivation (Figure 1c,d)
Summary
Plastic polymers have advantages of ductility, durability, and low cost, and are commonly used in agricultural films and food packaging. Plastic pollution poses a serious threat to animal and human health. Mircroplastics are of particular concern, as microplastics are deposited in aquatic environments, and microplastics ingested by seabirds or fish accumulate in their stomachs, which may cause death [1,2]. The potential accumulation of microplastics in the food chain eventually could have adverse effects on human health [3,4,5]. The development of biodegradable plastics in recent years could slow down the accumulation of plastics in the environment, but fails to completely eliminate environmental pollution at the source [7,8]. The process of biodegradation can be divided into four stages: (a) cells grow firmly on the surface of the plastic material and produce hydrophilic groups; (b) long-chain hydrocarbons are
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