Abstract
Polyethylene materials are a serious environmental concern as their nondegradable nature allows them to persist in the environment. Recent studies have shown that polyethylene can be degraded by microbes at a very slow rate, whereby detectable changes are evident after several years. In the present study, we report the degradation of low-density polyethylene by Pseudomonas sp. AKS2. Unlike the previous reports, degradation by Pseudomonas sp. AKS2 is relatively fast as it can degrade 5 ± 1 % of the starting material in 45 days without prior oxidation. This degradation can be altered by agents that modulate hydrophobic interaction between polythene and the microbe. As mineral oil promotes hydrophobic interactions, it enhances bacterial attachment to the polymer surface. This enhanced attachment results in increased biofilm formation and enhanced polymer degradation. In contrast, Tween 80 reduces bacterial attachment to the polymer surface by lowering hydrophobic interactions and thereby reduces polymer degradation. Thus, this study establishes a correlation between hydrophobic interaction and polymer degradation and also relates the biofilm formation ability of bacteria to polymer degrading potential.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Dr. Srimonti Sarkar for critical reading of the manuscript. PT is supported by CSIR-Senior Research Fellowship, Government of India. AFM facility was availed at central instrumental facility under DBT-IPLS program at University of Calcutta. This work is supported partly by a grant in aid for scientific research from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of West Bengal, India.
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Tribedi, P., Sil, A.K. Low-density polyethylene degradation by Pseudomonas sp. AKS2 biofilm. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 4146–4153 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1378-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1378-y