Biodegradation Potential of Polyethylene Terephthalate by the Two Insect Gut Symbionts Xanthomonas sp. HY-74 and Bacillus sp. HY-75

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a plastic material that is widely used in beverage bottles, food packaging, and other consumer products, which is highly resistant to biodegradation. In this study, we investigated the effects of two insect gut symbionts, Xanthomonas sp. HY-74 and Bacillus sp. HY-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polymers 2023-08, Vol.15 (17), p.3546
Main Authors: Kim, Jong-Hoon, Lee, So-Hye, Lee, Byeong-Min, Son, Kwang-Hee, Park, Ho-Yong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria
Biodegradation
Environmental impact
Enzymes
Ethanol
Food packaging
Functional groups
Insects
Microorganisms
Plastics
Polyethylene terephthalate
Roughening
Scanning electron microscopy
Scratching
Spectrum analysis
Waste management
Weight loss
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Summary:Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a plastic material that is widely used in beverage bottles, food packaging, and other consumer products, which is highly resistant to biodegradation. In this study, we investigated the effects of two insect gut symbionts, Xanthomonas sp. HY-74 and Bacillus sp. HY-75, during PET biodegradation. Both strains degraded PET-containing agar plates, and the sole nutrition source assay showed that HY-74 had different degradation rates depending on the presence of specific carbon and nitrogen sources, whereas HY-75 exhibited comparable degradation across all tested conditions. The two strains biodegraded the PET film with 1.57 ± 0.21% and 1.42 ± 0.46% weight loss after 6 weeks, respectively. Changes in the morphology and structure of the PET films, such as erosion, scratching, and surface roughening, were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further, the two strains biodegraded PET powder, broke it into its degradation products, and changed the surface functional groups. This is the first study to investigate the biodegradation of PET by Hymenoptera gut-derived microbes and offers promising insights into the potential applications of insect gut symbionts in PET waste management.
ISSN:2073-4360
2073-4360
DOI:10.3390/polym15173546