Analysis of byproducts formed during biodegradation of plastic wastes by bacteria Sharma Ankita, Singh Brajeshwar*, Saleem Simrah, Javed Hibbah, Sharma Akashi, Dutta Upma, Vironika Division of Microbiology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, S.K. University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, Main Campus, Chatha, Jammu-180 009, J & K, India *Author for correspondence: Email: brajeshbhau@yahoo.co.in
Online Published on 20 January, 2024. Abstract Low density polyethylene is the most commonly occurring non-biodegradable waste material which constitutes approximately 60% of the total plastic production. In the present study, an attempt has been made to isolate and screen most efficient polyethylene degrading bacteria by using partially degraded polyethylene samples with adhered soil collected from two municipal waste dumping grounds of Jammu region. A total of 62 bacterial isolates were obtained using low density polyethylene powder used as the sole carbon source in synthetic medium. The biodegradation activity of the isolates was investigated based on the percent weight loss of the polyethylene. Maximum percent weight loss (%WL; 22.66%) was recorded with MB57 after 2 months of shaking at room temperature. The polyethylene degradation products (PEDP) in the culture supernatant of three potential bacterial cultures were analyzed with GC-MS technique. The major by-products in the PEDP in the culture supernatant of bacterial culture MB-5 (7,9-Di-tert-butyl-1-oxaspiro(4,5)deca6,9-diene-2,8-dione, MB-12 (Oxalic acid, cyclohexylmethyl octadecyl ester), and MB-57 (1-Hexacosanol) dissolved in diethyl ether were recorded. Top Keywords LDPE, Polyethylene, GC-MS analysis, Polyethylene degraded products, Synthetic medium. Top |