Degradation of a Terephthalate-containing Polyester by Thermophilic Actinomycetes and Bacillus Species Derived from Composts

Abstract

We intended to find thermophilic degraders of terephthalate-containing Biomax® films. Films in mesh bags were buried in composts (inside temperature: approximately 55–60 °C), resulting in the degradation of them in 2 weeks. Fluorescent microscopy of films recovered from composts showed that microorganisms gradually covered the surface of a film during composting. DGGE analysis of microorganisms on the composted film indicated the presence of Bacillus species as main species (approximately 80% of microbial flora) and actinomycetes (approximately 10–20%) as the second major flora. Isolation of Biomax®-utilizing bacteria was focused on these two genera: two actinomycetes and one Bacillus species were isolated as pure best degraders from the composted polymer films, which were fragmented into small pieces. All the strains were thermophilic and identified, based on their 16S rDNA analyses. Degradation of polymer films was confirmed by (1) accelerated fragmentation of films in composts, compared with a control (no inoculum) and resultant decrease in molecular weights, (2) growth in a powdered Biomax® medium, compared with a control without powdered Biomax®, and (3) production of terephthalate in a powdered Biomax® medium. In this way, we concluded that these bacteria were useful for degradation of thermostable Biomax® products.