Novel Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)-degrading Bacillus sp. JY35 from wastewater sludge and its broad degradation of various bioplastics

• Published in: Waste management (Elmsford) 2022-05, Vol.144, p.1-10
• Main Authors: Cho, Jang Yeon, Park, Sol Lee, Kim, Su Hyun, Jung, Hee Ju, Cho, Do Hyun, Kim, Byung Chan, Bhatia, Shashi Kant, Gurav, Ranjit, Park, See-Hyoung, Park, Kyungmoon, Yang, Yung-Hun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biodegradation; Bioplastic; Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)
• ISSN: 0956-053X; 1879-2456
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2022.03.003

[Display omitted] •PBAT degrading Bacillus sp. JY35 was screened from wastewater sludge.•Bacillus sp. JY35 showed superior degradation rate and robustness to temperature.•SEM, FT-IR, and GPC analyses demonstrated properties change during degradation.•Degradation of PBAT film was achieved approximately 50% within three weeks.•Bacillus sp. JY35 could degrade various bioplastics in the solid culture. Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), a bioplastic consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons, was developed to overcome the shortcomings of aliphatic and aromatic polyesters. Many studies report the use of PBAT as a blending material for improving properties of other bioplastics. However, there are few studies on microorganisms that degrade PBAT. We found six kinds of PBAT-degrading microorganisms from various soils. Among these, Bacillus sp. JY35 showed superior PBAT degradability and robustness to temperature. We monitored the degradation of PBAT films by Bacillus sp. JY35 using scanning electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. GC-MS was used to measure the PBAT film degradation rate at different temperatures and with additional NaCl and carbon sources. Certain additional carbon sources improve the growth of Bacillus sp. JY35. However, this did not increase PBAT film degradation. Time-dependent PBAT film degradation rates were measured during three weeks of cultivation, after which the strain achieved almost 50% degradation. Additionally, various bioplastics were applied to solid cultures to confirm the biodegradation range of Bacillus sp. JY35, which can degrade not only PBAT but also PBS, PCL, PLA, PHB, P(3HB-co-4HB), P(3HB-co-3HV), P(3HB-co-3HHx), and P(3HB-co-3HV-co-3HHx), suggesting its usability as a superior bioplastic degrader.