Researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and their associates have found several microorganisms, including fungus and bacteria, that may degrade plastic in Jiangsu, China’s coastal salt marshes.
According to Phys.org, the scientists discovered 184 fungus and 55 bacteria strains that can break down polycaprolactone (PCL), a form of biodegradable polyester that is frequently utilized in the creation of different polyurethanes. Additionally, they discovered that specific bacterial strains from the genera Jonesia and Streptomyces can further degrade additional petroleum-based polymers, whether they be organic or synthetic chains of molecules.
Microorganisms That Eat Plastic Might Combat the Rise in Global Waste
Researchers recently reported conducting a study in May 2021 at the UNESCO-protected area Dafeng close to the Yellow Sea Coast in eastern China. The study was described in the article titled “The Distinct Plastisphere Microbiome in the Terrestrial-Marine Ecotone Is a Reservoir for Putative Degraders of Petroleum-Based Polymers” which was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Since the 1970s, plastic pollution has significantly increased, with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimating that 400 million tonnes of plastic trash are created yearly. As a result, researchers are increasingly turning to microorganisms to solve this important issue. The idea of the plastisphere raises the possibility of solving this issue.
Microorganisms have been shown to have the capacity to attack plastic waste in earlier studies. In a 2017 study, researchers from China and Pakistan found a kind of fungus called Aspergillus tubingensis at a landfill in Islamabad, Pakistan, that could degrade plastic. 436 different fungus and bacterial species are capable of breaking down plastic thus far.
50 plastic waste samples totaling seven different petroleum-based polymers—including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), expanded polystyrene (EPS), polyethylene (PE), polyurethane (PU), polyamide (PA), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)—were collected from Dafeng by the study’s researchers.
The researchers found 14 kinds of fungus in the samples, including the plant diseases Fusarium and Neocosmospora. This fungus feeds on plants for their nutrients but also injures their hosts in the process.
According to the study, these fungi may be more efficient than saprotrophic fungi, which normally consume dead plant and animal materials, at breaking down PCL plastics and synthetic polymers.
Validating the Microbiome’s Presence in the Plastisphere
The Smithsonian Water claims that numerous types of life can be drawn to and accumulated on floating items in the water. Microorganisms including bacteria, algae, and other single-celled organisms congregate on plastic and other floating items in the water, just as fishermen use floating buoys to concentrate fish.
As little as a pinky nail, even the tiniest plastic trash bits can act as centers for microbial aggregation. This microbial population creates a microscopic “plastisphere,” or layer of life, on the plastic’s surface. The word “plastisphere” is akin to that used to describe the layer of life on the surface of the Earth, which is known as the “biosphere.”
The new study focused on a terrestrial plastisphere to investigate microorganisms capable of degrading plastic. It demonstrated that the coastal plastic litter contained a distinct microbiome that was distinct from the soil around it. The importance of examining the microbial communities within the plastic debris at Dafeng’s salt marshes is emphasized by researchers. The area’s distinct biological niche has led to some intriguing and encouraging first results.
