Degradation of Green Polyethylene by Pleurotus ostreatus

We studied the biodegradation of green polyethylene (GP) by Pleurotus ostreatus. The GP was developed from renewable raw materials to help to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. However, little information regarding the biodegradation of GP discarded in the environment is available. P. ostreat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2015-06, Vol.10 (6), p.e0126047-e0126047
Main Authors: da Luz, José Maria Rodrigues, Paes, Sirlaine Albino, Ribeiro, Karla Veloso Gonçalves, Mendes, Igor Rodrigues, Kasuya, Maria Catarina Megumi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural wastes
Biodegradability
Biodegradation
Biodegradation, Environmental
Bioremediation
Carbon dioxide
Enzymes
Fourier transforms
Functional groups
Fungi
Greenhouse effect
Greenhouse gases
Incubation
Mechanical properties
Mineralization
Nitrogen
Organic chemistry
Photodegradation
Pleurotus - metabolism
Pleurotus ostreatus
Pollutants
Polyethylene
Polyethylene - metabolism
Polyethylenes
Polymers
Raw materials
Saccharum officinarum
Soil sciences
Substrates
Sugarcane
Sunlight
Variance analysis
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Summary:We studied the biodegradation of green polyethylene (GP) by Pleurotus ostreatus. The GP was developed from renewable raw materials to help to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. However, little information regarding the biodegradation of GP discarded in the environment is available. P. ostreatus is a lignocellulolytic fungus that has been used in bioremediation processes for agroindustrial residues, pollutants, and recalcitrant compounds. Recently, we showed the potential of this fungus to degrade oxo-biodegradable polyethylene. GP plastic bags were exposed to sunlight for up to 120 days to induce the initial photodegradation of the polymers. After this period, no cracks, pits, or new functional groups in the structure of GP were observed. Fragments of these bags were used as the substrate for the growth of P. ostreatus. After 30 d of incubation, physical and chemical alterations in the structure of GP were observed. We conclude that the exposure of GP to sunlight and its subsequent incubation in the presence of P. ostreatus can decrease the half-life of GP and facilitate the mineralization of these polymers.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0126047