1
|
Calarnou L, Traïkia M, Leremboure M, Therias S, Gardette JL, Bussière PO, Malosse L, Dronet S, Besse-Hoggan P, Eyheraguibel B. Study of sequential abiotic and biotic degradation of styrene butadiene rubber. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 926:171928. [PMID: 38531457 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Styrene butadiene rubber is one of the main constituents of tire tread. During tire life, the tread material undergoes different stresses that impact its structure and chemical composition. Wear particles are then released into the environment as weathered material. To understand their fate, it is important to start with a better characterization of abiotic and biotic degradation of the elastomer material. A multi-disciplinary approach was implemented to study the photo- and thermo- degradation of non-vulcanized SBR films containing 15 w% styrene as well as their potential biodegradation by Rhodoccocus ruber and Gordonia polyisoprenivorans bacterial strains. Each ageing process leads to crosslinking reactions, much surface oxidation of the films and the production of hundreds of short chain compounds. These degradation products present a high level of unsaturation and oxidation and can be released into water to become potential substrates for microorganisms. Both strains were able to degrade from 0.2 to 1.2 % (% ThOD) of the aged SBR film after 30-day incubation while no biodegradation was observed on the pristine material. A 25-75 % decrease in the signal intensity of water extractable compounds was observed, suggesting that biomass production was linked to the consumption of low-molecular-weight degradation products. These results evidence the positive impact of abiotic degradation on the biodegradation process of styrene butadiene rubber.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laurie Calarnou
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Mounir Traïkia
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France; Université Clermont Auvergne, Plateforme d'Exploration du Métabolisme, MetaboHUB Clermont, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Martin Leremboure
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Sandrine Therias
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Jean-Luc Gardette
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Pierre-Olivier Bussière
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Lucie Malosse
- Manufacture Française des Pneumatiques MICHELIN, Centre de Technologies Ladoux, 63040 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Séverin Dronet
- Manufacture Française des Pneumatiques MICHELIN, Centre de Technologies Ladoux, 63040 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Pascale Besse-Hoggan
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Boris Eyheraguibel
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Choi J, Kim H, Ahn YR, Kim M, Yu S, Kim N, Lim SY, Park JA, Ha SJ, Lim KS, Kim HO. Recent advances in microbial and enzymatic engineering for the biodegradation of micro- and nanoplastics. RSC Adv 2024; 14:9943-9966. [PMID: 38528920 PMCID: PMC10961967 DOI: 10.1039/d4ra00844h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
This review examines the escalating issue of plastic pollution, specifically highlighting the detrimental effects on the environment and human health caused by microplastics and nanoplastics. The extensive use of synthetic polymers such as polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene (PS) has raised significant environmental concerns because of their long-lasting and non-degradable characteristics. This review delves into the role of enzymatic and microbial strategies in breaking down these polymers, showcasing recent advancements in the field. The intricacies of enzymatic degradation are thoroughly examined, including the effectiveness of enzymes such as PETase and MHETase, as well as the contribution of microbial pathways in breaking down resilient polymers into more benign substances. The paper also discusses the impact of chemical composition on plastic degradation kinetics and emphasizes the need for an approach to managing the environmental impact of synthetic polymers. The review highlights the significance of comprehending the physical characteristics and long-term impacts of micro- and nanoplastics in different ecosystems. Furthermore, it points out the environmental and health consequences of these contaminants, such as their ability to cause cancer and interfere with the endocrine system. The paper emphasizes the need for advanced analytical methods and effective strategies for enzymatic degradation, as well as continued research and development in this area. This review highlights the crucial role of enzymatic and microbial strategies in addressing plastic pollution and proposes methods to create effective and environmentally friendly solutions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jaewon Choi
- Division of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, College of Art, Culture and Engineering, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
- Department of Smart Health Science and Technology, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
| | - Hongbin Kim
- Division of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, College of Art, Culture and Engineering, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
- Department of Smart Health Science and Technology, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
| | - Yu-Rim Ahn
- Division of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, College of Art, Culture and Engineering, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
- Department of Smart Health Science and Technology, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
| | - Minse Kim
- Division of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, College of Art, Culture and Engineering, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
- Department of Smart Health Science and Technology, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
| | - Seona Yu
- Division of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, College of Art, Culture and Engineering, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
- Department of Smart Health Science and Technology, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
| | - Nanhyeon Kim
- Division of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, College of Art, Culture and Engineering, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
- Department of Smart Health Science and Technology, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
| | - Su Yeon Lim
- Division of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, College of Art, Culture and Engineering, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
- Department of Smart Health Science and Technology, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
| | - Jeong-Ann Park
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Kangwon National University Chuncheon 24341 Republic of Korea
| | - Suk-Jin Ha
- Division of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, College of Art, Culture and Engineering, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
- Department of Smart Health Science and Technology, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
| | - Kwang Suk Lim
- Division of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, College of Art, Culture and Engineering, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
- Department of Smart Health Science and Technology, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
| | - Hyun-Ouk Kim
- Division of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, College of Art, Culture and Engineering, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
- Department of Smart Health Science and Technology, Kangwon National University Chuncheon Korea
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Stubbins A, Zhu L, Zhao S, Spencer RGM, Podgorski DC. Molecular Signatures of Dissolved Organic Matter Generated from the Photodissolution of Microplastics in Sunlit Seawater. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:20097-20106. [PMID: 37955971 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c03592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Plastics are accumulating on Earth, including at sea. The photodegradation of microplastics floating in seawater produces dissolved organic matter (DOM), indicating that sunlight can photodissolve microplastics at the sea surface. To characterize the chemistry of DOM produced as microplastics photodissolve, three microplastics that occur in surface waters, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and expanded polystyrene (EPS), were incubated floating on seawater in both the light and the dark. We present the molecular signatures of the DOM produced during these incubations, as determined via ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry. Zero to 12 products were identified in the dark, whereas 319-705 photoproducts were identified in the light. Photoproduced DOM included oxygen atoms, indicating that soluble, oxygen-containing organics were formed as plastics photodegrade. PP and PE plastics have hydrogen-to-carbon (H/C) ratios of 2 and generated DOM with average H/C values of 1.7 ± 0.1 to 1.8 ± 0.1, whereas EPS, which has an H/C of 1, generated DOM with an average H/C of 0.9 ± 0.2, indicating the stoichiometry of photoproduced DOM was related to the stoichiometry of the photodegrading polymer. The photodissolution of plastics produced hundreds of photoproducts with varying elemental stoichiometries, indicating that a single abiotic process (photochemistry) can generate hundreds of different chemicals from stoichiometrically monotonous polymers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aron Stubbins
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Hurtig 102, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Hurtig 102, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Lixin Zhu
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Hurtig 102, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Shiye Zhao
- Research Institute for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan
| | - Robert G M Spencer
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, United States
| | - David C Podgorski
- Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Chemical Analysis & Mass Spectrometry Facility, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Calarnou L, Traïkia M, Leremboure M, Malosse L, Dronet S, Delort AM, Besse-Hoggan P, Eyheraguibel B. Assessing biodegradation of roadway particles via complementary mass spectrometry and NMR analyses. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 900:165698. [PMID: 37499838 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Roadway particles (RP) that can be collected with on-vehicle system, consist of a mixture of Tire and road wear particles (TRWP) with other traffic-derived particles (exhaust or non-exhaust) and/or biogenic compounds and represent a significant source of xenobiotics, susceptible to reach the different environmental compartments. The study of the RP fate is thus a major challenge to tackle in order to understand their degradation and impact. They offer a variety of carbon sources potentially usable by microorganisms, ranging from the tire-derived plasticizers, vulcanizing agents, protective agents and their transformation products, to other traffic, road and environmental-derived contaminants. A multi-analytical approach was implemented to characterize RP and study their biodegradation. Kinetics of RP extractions were monitored during 21 days in water, methanol, acetone and chloroform to identify leaching and extractable compounds and monitor the particle composition. The results confirmed that hundreds of readily leachable chemicals can be extracted from RP directly into water according to a dynamic process with time while additional poorly soluble compounds remain in the particles. Mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS and GC-MS) allowed us to propose 296 putative compounds using an extensive rubber database. The capacity of 6 bacterial strains, belonging to Rhodococcus, Pseudomonas and Streptomyces genera, to biodegrade RP was then evaluated over 14 days of incubation. The selected strains were able to grow on RP using various substrates. Elastomer monitoring by 1H NMR revealed a significant 12 % decrease of the extractable SBR fraction when the particles were incubated with Rhodococcus ruber. After incubation, the biodegradation of 171 compounds among leachable and extractable compounds was evaluated. Fatty acids and alkanes from rubber plasticizers and paraffin waxes were the most degraded putative compounds by the six strains tested, reaching 75 % of biodegradation for some of them.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laurie Calarnou
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont- Ferrand, France
| | - Mounir Traïkia
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont- Ferrand, France
| | - Martin Leremboure
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont- Ferrand, France
| | - Lucie Malosse
- Manufacture Française des Pneumatiques MICHELIN, Centre de Technologies Ladoux, F-63040 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Séverin Dronet
- Manufacture Française des Pneumatiques MICHELIN, Centre de Technologies Ladoux, F-63040 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Anne-Marie Delort
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont- Ferrand, France
| | - Pascale Besse-Hoggan
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont- Ferrand, France
| | - Boris Eyheraguibel
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut de Chimie (ICCF), F-63000 Clermont- Ferrand, France.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
De Filippis F, Bonelli M, Bruno D, Sequino G, Montali A, Reguzzoni M, Pasolli E, Savy D, Cangemi S, Cozzolino V, Tettamanti G, Ercolini D, Casartelli M, Caccia S. Plastics shape the black soldier fly larvae gut microbiome and select for biodegrading functions. MICROBIOME 2023; 11:205. [PMID: 37705113 PMCID: PMC10500907 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01649-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the last few years, considerable attention has been focused on the plastic-degrading capability of insects and their gut microbiota in order to develop novel, effective, and green strategies for plastic waste management. Although many analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing are available, an in-depth analysis of the insect gut microbiome to identify genes with plastic-degrading potential is still lacking. RESULTS In the present work, we aim to fill this gap using Black Soldier Fly (BSF) as insect model. BSF larvae have proven capability to efficiently bioconvert a wide variety of organic wastes but, surprisingly, have never been considered for plastic degradation. BSF larvae were reared on two widely used plastic polymers and shotgun metagenomics was exploited to evaluate if and how plastic-containing diets affect composition and functions of the gut microbial community. The high-definition picture of the BSF gut microbiome gave access for the first time to the genomes of culturable and unculturable microorganisms in the gut of insects reared on plastics and revealed that (i) plastics significantly shaped bacterial composition at species and strain level, and (ii) functions that trigger the degradation of the polymer chains, i.e., DyP-type peroxidases, multicopper oxidases, and alkane monooxygenases, were highly enriched in the metagenomes upon exposure to plastics, consistently with the evidences obtained by scanning electron microscopy and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance analyses on plastics. CONCLUSIONS In addition to highlighting that the astonishing plasticity of the microbiota composition of BSF larvae is associated with functional shifts in the insect microbiome, the present work sets the stage for exploiting BSF larvae as "bioincubators" to isolate microbial strains and enzymes for the development of innovative plastic biodegradation strategies. However, most importantly, the larvae constitute a source of enzymes to be evolved and valorized by pioneering synthetic biology approaches. Video Abstract.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca De Filippis
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
- Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Bonelli
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Bruno
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Sequino
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Aurora Montali
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Marcella Reguzzoni
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Edoardo Pasolli
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
- Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Davide Savy
- Interdepartmental Research Centre of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance for the Environment, Agri-Food and New Materials (CERMANU), University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Silvana Cangemi
- Interdepartmental Research Centre of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance for the Environment, Agri-Food and New Materials (CERMANU), University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Vincenza Cozzolino
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
- Interdepartmental Research Centre of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance for the Environment, Agri-Food and New Materials (CERMANU), University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Gianluca Tettamanti
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
- Interuniversity Center for Studies on Bioinspired Agro-Environmental Technology (BAT Center), University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Danilo Ercolini
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy.
- Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
| | - Morena Casartelli
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
- Interuniversity Center for Studies on Bioinspired Agro-Environmental Technology (BAT Center), University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy.
| | - Silvia Caccia
- Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Gollan M, Black G, Munoz-Munoz J. A computational approach to optimising laccase-mediated polyethylene oxidation through carbohydrate-binding module fusion. BMC Biotechnol 2023; 23:18. [PMID: 37415113 PMCID: PMC10324223 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-023-00787-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Plastic pollution is a major global concern to the health and wellbeing of all terrestrial and marine life. However, no sustainable method for waste management is currently viable. This study addresses the optimisation of microbial enzymatic polyethylene oxidation through rational engineering of laccases with carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) domains. An explorative bioinformatic approach was taken for high-throughput screening of candidate laccases and CBM domains, representing an exemplar workflow for future engineering research. Molecular docking simulated polyethylene binding whilst a deep-learning algorithm predicted catalytic activity. Protein properties were examined to interpret the mechanisms behind laccase-polyethylene binding. The incorporation of flexible GGGGS(x3) hinges were found to improve putative polyethylene binding of laccases. Whilst CBM1 family domains were predicted to bind polyethylene, they were suggested to detriment laccase-polyethylene associations. In contrast, CBM2 domains reported improved polyethylene binding and may thus optimise laccase oxidation. Interactions between CBM domains, linkers, and polyethylene hydrocarbons were heavily reliant on hydrophobicity. Preliminary polyethylene oxidation is considered a necessity for consequent microbial uptake and assimilation. However, slow oxidation and depolymerisation rates inhibit the large-scale industrial implementation of bioremediation within waste management systems. The optimised polyethylene oxidation of CBM2-engineered laccases represents a significant advancement towards a sustainable method of complete plastic breakdown. Results of this study offer a rapid, accessible workflow for further research into exoenzyme optimisation whilst elucidating mechanisms behind the laccase-polyethylene interaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Gollan
- Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom.
| | - Gary Black
- Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom
| | - Jose Munoz-Munoz
- Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Chigwada AD, Ogola HJO, Tekere M. Multivariate analysis of enriched landfill soil consortia provide insight on the community structural perturbation and functioning during low-density polyethylene degradation. Microbiol Res 2023; 274:127425. [PMID: 37348445 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2023.127425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Plastic-enriched sites like landfills have immense potential for discovery of microbial consortia that can efficiently degrade plastics. In this study, we used a combination of culture enrichment, high-throughput PacBio sequencing of 16 S rRNA and the ITS gene, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine the compositional and diversity perturbations of bacterial and fungal consortia from landfill soils and their impact on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film biodegradation over a 90-day period. Results showed that enrichment cultures effectively utilized LDPE as a carbon source for cellular growth, resulting in significant weight reduction (22.4% and 55.6%) in the films. SEM analysis revealed marked changes in the micrometric surface characteristics (cracks, fissures, and erosion) and biofilm formation in LDPE films. FTIR analyses suggested structural and functional group modification related to C-H (2831-2943 cm⁻¹), and CH₂ (1400 cm⁻¹) stretching, CO and CC (680-950 cm⁻¹) scission, and CO incorporation (3320-3500 cm⁻¹) into the carbon backbone, indicative of LDPE polymer biodegradation. Enrichment cultures had lower diversity and richness of microbial taxa compared to soil samples, with LDPE as a carbon source having a direct influence on the structure and functioning of the microbial consortia. A total of 26 bacterial and 12 fungal OTU exhibiting high relative abundance and significant associations (IndVal > 0.7, q < 0.05) were identified in the enrichment culture. Bacterial taxa such as unclassified Parvibaculum FJ375498, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, unclassified Chitinophagaceae PAC002331, unclassified Paludisphaera and unclassified Comamonas JX898122, and six fungal species (Galactomyces candidus, Trichosporon chiropterorum, Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium chalabudae, Talaromyces thailandensis, and Penicillium citreosulfuratum) were identified as the putative LDPE degraders in the enrichment microbial consortium cultures. PICRUSt2 metagenomic functional profiling of taxonomic bacterial taxa abundances in both landfill soil and enrichment microbial consortia also revealed differential enrichment of energy production, stress tolerance, surface attachment and motility pathways, and xenobiotic degrading enzymes important for biofilm formation and hydrolytic/oxidative LDPE biodegradation. The findings shed light on the composition and structural changes in landfill soil microbial consortia during enrichment with LDPE as a carbon source and suggest novel LDPE-degrading bacterial and fungal taxa that could be explored for management of polyethylene pollution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey Dickson Chigwada
- Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa (UNISA), Florida Campus, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa
| | - Henry Joseph Oduor Ogola
- Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa (UNISA), Florida Campus, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa
| | - Memory Tekere
- Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa (UNISA), Florida Campus, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Bitalac JMS, Lantican NB, Gomez NCF, Onda DFL. Attachment of potential cultivable primo-colonizing bacteria and its implications on the fate of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastics in the marine environment. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 451:131124. [PMID: 36871466 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Plastics released in the environment become suitable matrices for microbial attachment and colonization. Plastics-associated microbial communities interact with each other and are metabolically distinct from the surrounding environment. However, pioneer colonizing species and their interaction with the plastic during initial colonization are less described. Marine sediment bacteria from sites in Manila Bay were isolated via a double selective enrichment method using sterilized low-density polyethylene (LDPE) sheets as the sole carbon source. Ten isolates were identified to belong to the genera Halomonas, Bacillus, Alteromonas, Photobacterium, and Aliishimia based on 16S rRNA gene phylogeny, and majority of the taxa found exhibit a surface-associated lifestyle. Isolates were then tested for their ability to colonize polyethylene (PE) through co-incubation with LDPE sheets for 60 days. Growth of colonies in crevices, formation of cell-shaped pits, and increased roughness of the surface indicate physical deterioration. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy revealed significant changes in the functional groups and bond indices on LDPE sheets separately co-incubated with the isolates, demonstrating that different species potentially target different substrates of the photo-oxidized polymer backbone. Understanding the activity of primo-colonizing bacteria on the plastic surface can provide insights on the possible mechanisms used to make plastic more bioavailable for other species, and their implications on the fate of plastics in the marine environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justine Marey S Bitalac
- The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman, 1101 Quezon City, Philippines; Microbiology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños, 4031 Laguna, Philippines
| | - Nacita B Lantican
- Microbiology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños, 4031 Laguna, Philippines
| | - Norchel Corcia F Gomez
- The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman, 1101 Quezon City, Philippines; Microbiology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños, 4031 Laguna, Philippines
| | - Deo Florence L Onda
- The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman, 1101 Quezon City, Philippines.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
James BD, Karchner SI, Walsh AN, Aluru N, Franks DG, Sullivan KR, Reddy CM, Ward CP, Hahn ME. Formulation Controls the Potential Neuromuscular Toxicity of Polyethylene Photoproducts in Developing Zebrafish. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:7966-7977. [PMID: 37186871 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c01932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Sunlight transforms plastic into water-soluble products, the potential toxicity of which remains unresolved, particularly for vertebrate animals. We evaluated acute toxicity and gene expression in developing zebrafish larvae after 5 days of exposure to photoproduced (P) and dark (D) leachates from additive-free polyethylene (PE) film and consumer-grade, additive-containing, conventional, and recycled PE bags. Using a "worst-case" scenario, with plastic concentrations exceeding those found in natural waters, we observed no acute toxicity. However, at the molecular level, RNA sequencing revealed differences in the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for each leachate treatment: thousands of genes (5442 P, 577 D) for the additive-free film, tens of genes for the additive-containing conventional bag (14 P, 7 D), and none for the additive-containing recycled bag. Gene ontology enrichment analyses suggested that the additive-free PE leachates disrupted neuromuscular processes via biophysical signaling; this was most pronounced for the photoproduced leachates. We suggest that the fewer DEGs elicited by the leachates from conventional PE bags (and none from recycled bags) could be due to differences in photoproduced leachate composition caused by titanium dioxide-catalyzed reactions not present in the additive-free PE. This work demonstrates that the potential toxicity of plastic photoproducts can be product formulation-specific.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bryan D James
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Sibel I Karchner
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Anna N Walsh
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Neelakanteswar Aluru
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Diana G Franks
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Kallen R Sullivan
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Christopher M Reddy
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Collin P Ward
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Mark E Hahn
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Sciscione F, Hailes HC, Miodownik M. The performance and environmental impact of pro-oxidant additive containing plastics in the open unmanaged environment-a review of the evidence. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230089. [PMID: 37181792 PMCID: PMC10170345 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Pro-oxidant additive containing (PAC) plastics is a term that describes a growing number of plastics which are designed to degrade in the unmanaged natural environment (open-air, soil, aquatic) through oxidation and other processes. It is a category that includes 'oxo-degradable' plastics, 'oxo-biodegradable' plastics and those containing 'biotransformation' additives. There is evidence that a new standard PAS 9017 : 2020 is relevant to predicting the timescale for abiotic degradation of PAC plastic in hot dry climates under ideal conditions (data reviewed for South of France and Florida). There are no reliable data to date to show that the PAS 9017 : 2020 predicts the timescale for abiotic degradation of PAC plastics in cool or wet climatic regions such as the UK or under less ideal conditions (soil burial, surface soiling etc.). Most PAC plastics studied in the literature showed biodegradability values in the range 5-60% and would not pass the criteria for biodegradability set in the new PAS 9017 : 2020. Possible formation of microplastics and cross-linking have been highlighted both by field studies and laboratory studies. Systematic eco-toxicity studies are needed to assess the possible effect of PAC additives and microplastics on the environment and biological organisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabiola Sciscione
- UCL Plastic Waste Innovation Hub, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, UK
| | - Helen C. Hailes
- UCL Plastic Waste Innovation Hub, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, UK
| | - Mark Miodownik
- UCL Plastic Waste Innovation Hub, University College London, London, UK
- Mechanical Engineering Department, University College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Albergamo V, Wohlleben W, Plata DL. Photochemical weathering of polyurethane microplastics produced complex and dynamic mixtures of dissolved organic chemicals. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2023; 25:432-444. [PMID: 36691826 DOI: 10.1039/d2em00415a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Sunlight exposure can naturally mitigate microplastics pollution in the surface ocean, however it results in emissions of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) whose characteristics and fate remain largely unknown. In this work, we investigated the effects of solar radiation on polyether (TPU_Ether) and polyester (TPU_Ester) thermoplastic polyurethane, and on a thermoset polyurethane (PU_Hardened). The microplastics were irradiated with simulated solar light with a UV dose of 350 MJ m-2, which corresponds to roughly 15 months outdoor exposure at 31° N latitude. The particles were characterized using ATR-FTIR and elemental analysis. The DOC released to the aqueous phase was quantified by total organic carbon analysis and characterized by nontarget liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. Polyurethane microplastics were degraded following mechanisms reconcilable with UV photo-oxidation. The carbon mass fraction released to the aqueous phase was 8.5 ± 0.5%, 3.7 ± 0.2%, and 2.8 ± 0.2% for TPU_Ether, TPU_Ester, and PU_Hardened, respectively. The corresponding DOC release rates, expressed as mg carbon per UV dose were 0.023, 0.013, and 0.010 mg MJ-1 for TPU_Ether, TPU_Ester and PU_Hardened, respectively. Roughly three thousand unique by-products were released from photo-weathered TPUs, whereas 540 were detected in the DOC of PU_Hardened. This carbon pool was highly complex and dynamic in terms of physicochemical properties and susceptibility to further photodegradation after dissolution from the particles. Our results show that plastics photodegradation in the ocean requires chemical assessment of the DOC emissions in addition to the analysis of aged microplastics and that polymer chemistry influences the chain scission products.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vittorio Albergamo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 15 Vassar Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
| | - Wendel Wohlleben
- Department of Material Physics and Analytics, Advanced Materials Research, BASF SE, Carl-Bosch-Str. 38, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany
- Department of Experimental Toxicology and Ecology, Advanced Materials Research, BASF SE, Carl-Bosch-Str. 38, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Desirée L Plata
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 15 Vassar Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Landrigan PJ, Raps H, Cropper M, Bald C, Brunner M, Canonizado EM, Charles D, Chiles TC, Donohue MJ, Enck J, Fenichel P, Fleming LE, Ferrier-Pages C, Fordham R, Gozt A, Griffin C, Hahn ME, Haryanto B, Hixson R, Ianelli H, James BD, Kumar P, Laborde A, Law KL, Martin K, Mu J, Mulders Y, Mustapha A, Niu J, Pahl S, Park Y, Pedrotti ML, Pitt JA, Ruchirawat M, Seewoo BJ, Spring M, Stegeman JJ, Suk W, Symeonides C, Takada H, Thompson RC, Vicini A, Wang Z, Whitman E, Wirth D, Wolff M, Yousuf AK, Dunlop S. The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health. Ann Glob Health 2023; 89:23. [PMID: 36969097 PMCID: PMC10038118 DOI: 10.5334/aogh.4056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Plastics have conveyed great benefits to humanity and made possible some of the most significant advances of modern civilization in fields as diverse as medicine, electronics, aerospace, construction, food packaging, and sports. It is now clear, however, that plastics are also responsible for significant harms to human health, the economy, and the earth's environment. These harms occur at every stage of the plastic life cycle, from extraction of the coal, oil, and gas that are its main feedstocks through to ultimate disposal into the environment. The extent of these harms not been systematically assessed, their magnitude not fully quantified, and their economic costs not comprehensively counted. Goals The goals of this Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health are to comprehensively examine plastics' impacts across their life cycle on: (1) human health and well-being; (2) the global environment, especially the ocean; (3) the economy; and (4) vulnerable populations-the poor, minorities, and the world's children. On the basis of this examination, the Commission offers science-based recommendations designed to support development of a Global Plastics Treaty, protect human health, and save lives. Report Structure This Commission report contains seven Sections. Following an Introduction, Section 2 presents a narrative review of the processes involved in plastic production, use, and disposal and notes the hazards to human health and the environment associated with each of these stages. Section 3 describes plastics' impacts on the ocean and notes the potential for plastic in the ocean to enter the marine food web and result in human exposure. Section 4 details plastics' impacts on human health. Section 5 presents a first-order estimate of plastics' health-related economic costs. Section 6 examines the intersection between plastic, social inequity, and environmental injustice. Section 7 presents the Commission's findings and recommendations. Plastics Plastics are complex, highly heterogeneous, synthetic chemical materials. Over 98% of plastics are produced from fossil carbon- coal, oil and gas. Plastics are comprised of a carbon-based polymer backbone and thousands of additional chemicals that are incorporated into polymers to convey specific properties such as color, flexibility, stability, water repellence, flame retardation, and ultraviolet resistance. Many of these added chemicals are highly toxic. They include carcinogens, neurotoxicants and endocrine disruptors such as phthalates, bisphenols, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), brominated flame retardants, and organophosphate flame retardants. They are integral components of plastic and are responsible for many of plastics' harms to human health and the environment.Global plastic production has increased almost exponentially since World War II, and in this time more than 8,300 megatons (Mt) of plastic have been manufactured. Annual production volume has grown from under 2 Mt in 1950 to 460 Mt in 2019, a 230-fold increase, and is on track to triple by 2060. More than half of all plastic ever made has been produced since 2002. Single-use plastics account for 35-40% of current plastic production and represent the most rapidly growing segment of plastic manufacture.Explosive recent growth in plastics production reflects a deliberate pivot by the integrated multinational fossil-carbon corporations that produce coal, oil and gas and that also manufacture plastics. These corporations are reducing their production of fossil fuels and increasing plastics manufacture. The two principal factors responsible for this pivot are decreasing global demand for carbon-based fuels due to increases in 'green' energy, and massive expansion of oil and gas production due to fracking.Plastic manufacture is energy-intensive and contributes significantly to climate change. At present, plastic production is responsible for an estimated 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the contribution of Brazil. This fraction is projected to increase to 4.5% by 2060 if current trends continue unchecked. Plastic Life Cycle The plastic life cycle has three phases: production, use, and disposal. In production, carbon feedstocks-coal, gas, and oil-are transformed through energy-intensive, catalytic processes into a vast array of products. Plastic use occurs in every aspect of modern life and results in widespread human exposure to the chemicals contained in plastic. Single-use plastics constitute the largest portion of current use, followed by synthetic fibers and construction.Plastic disposal is highly inefficient, with recovery and recycling rates below 10% globally. The result is that an estimated 22 Mt of plastic waste enters the environment each year, much of it single-use plastic and are added to the more than 6 gigatons of plastic waste that have accumulated since 1950. Strategies for disposal of plastic waste include controlled and uncontrolled landfilling, open burning, thermal conversion, and export. Vast quantities of plastic waste are exported each year from high-income to low-income countries, where it accumulates in landfills, pollutes air and water, degrades vital ecosystems, befouls beaches and estuaries, and harms human health-environmental injustice on a global scale. Plastic-laden e-waste is particularly problematic. Environmental Findings Plastics and plastic-associated chemicals are responsible for widespread pollution. They contaminate aquatic (marine and freshwater), terrestrial, and atmospheric environments globally. The ocean is the ultimate destination for much plastic, and plastics are found throughout the ocean, including coastal regions, the sea surface, the deep sea, and polar sea ice. Many plastics appear to resist breakdown in the ocean and could persist in the global environment for decades. Macro- and micro-plastic particles have been identified in hundreds of marine species in all major taxa, including species consumed by humans. Trophic transfer of microplastic particles and the chemicals within them has been demonstrated. Although microplastic particles themselves (>10 µm) appear not to undergo biomagnification, hydrophobic plastic-associated chemicals bioaccumulate in marine animals and biomagnify in marine food webs. The amounts and fates of smaller microplastic and nanoplastic particles (MNPs <10 µm) in aquatic environments are poorly understood, but the potential for harm is worrying given their mobility in biological systems. Adverse environmental impacts of plastic pollution occur at multiple levels from molecular and biochemical to population and ecosystem. MNP contamination of seafood results in direct, though not well quantified, human exposure to plastics and plastic-associated chemicals. Marine plastic pollution endangers the ocean ecosystems upon which all humanity depends for food, oxygen, livelihood, and well-being. Human Health Findings Coal miners, oil workers and gas field workers who extract fossil carbon feedstocks for plastic production suffer increased mortality from traumatic injury, coal workers' pneumoconiosis, silicosis, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. Plastic production workers are at increased risk of leukemia, lymphoma, hepatic angiosarcoma, brain cancer, breast cancer, mesothelioma, neurotoxic injury, and decreased fertility. Workers producing plastic textiles die of bladder cancer, lung cancer, mesothelioma, and interstitial lung disease at increased rates. Plastic recycling workers have increased rates of cardiovascular disease, toxic metal poisoning, neuropathy, and lung cancer. Residents of "fenceline" communities adjacent to plastic production and waste disposal sites experience increased risks of premature birth, low birth weight, asthma, childhood leukemia, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer.During use and also in disposal, plastics release toxic chemicals including additives and residual monomers into the environment and into people. National biomonitoring surveys in the USA document population-wide exposures to these chemicals. Plastic additives disrupt endocrine function and increase risk for premature births, neurodevelopmental disorders, male reproductive birth defects, infertility, obesity, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, and cancers. Chemical-laden MNPs formed through the environmental degradation of plastic waste can enter living organisms, including humans. Emerging, albeit still incomplete evidence indicates that MNPs may cause toxicity due to their physical and toxicological effects as well as by acting as vectors that transport toxic chemicals and bacterial pathogens into tissues and cells.Infants in the womb and young children are two populations at particularly high risk of plastic-related health effects. Because of the exquisite sensitivity of early development to hazardous chemicals and children's unique patterns of exposure, plastic-associated exposures are linked to increased risks of prematurity, stillbirth, low birth weight, birth defects of the reproductive organs, neurodevelopmental impairment, impaired lung growth, and childhood cancer. Early-life exposures to plastic-associated chemicals also increase the risk of multiple non-communicable diseases later in life. Economic Findings Plastic's harms to human health result in significant economic costs. We estimate that in 2015 the health-related costs of plastic production exceeded $250 billion (2015 Int$) globally, and that in the USA alone the health costs of disease and disability caused by the plastic-associated chemicals PBDE, BPA and DEHP exceeded $920 billion (2015 Int$). Plastic production results in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equivalent to 1.96 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2e) annually. Using the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) social cost of carbon metric, we estimate the annual costs of these GHG emissions to be $341 billion (2015 Int$).These costs, large as they are, almost certainly underestimate the full economic losses resulting from plastics' negative impacts on human health and the global environment. All of plastics' economic costs-and also its social costs-are externalized by the petrochemical and plastic manufacturing industry and are borne by citizens, taxpayers, and governments in countries around the world without compensation. Social Justice Findings The adverse effects of plastics and plastic pollution on human health, the economy and the environment are not evenly distributed. They disproportionately affect poor, disempowered, and marginalized populations such as workers, racial and ethnic minorities, "fenceline" communities, Indigenous groups, women, and children, all of whom had little to do with creating the current plastics crisis and lack the political influence or the resources to address it. Plastics' harmful impacts across its life cycle are most keenly felt in the Global South, in small island states, and in disenfranchised areas in the Global North. Social and environmental justice (SEJ) principles require reversal of these inequitable burdens to ensure that no group bears a disproportionate share of plastics' negative impacts and that those who benefit economically from plastic bear their fair share of its currently externalized costs. Conclusions It is now clear that current patterns of plastic production, use, and disposal are not sustainable and are responsible for significant harms to human health, the environment, and the economy as well as for deep societal injustices.The main driver of these worsening harms is an almost exponential and still accelerating increase in global plastic production. Plastics' harms are further magnified by low rates of recovery and recycling and by the long persistence of plastic waste in the environment.The thousands of chemicals in plastics-monomers, additives, processing agents, and non-intentionally added substances-include amongst their number known human carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxicants, and persistent organic pollutants. These chemicals are responsible for many of plastics' known harms to human and planetary health. The chemicals leach out of plastics, enter the environment, cause pollution, and result in human exposure and disease. All efforts to reduce plastics' hazards must address the hazards of plastic-associated chemicals. Recommendations To protect human and planetary health, especially the health of vulnerable and at-risk populations, and put the world on track to end plastic pollution by 2040, this Commission supports urgent adoption by the world's nations of a strong and comprehensive Global Plastics Treaty in accord with the mandate set forth in the March 2022 resolution of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).International measures such as a Global Plastics Treaty are needed to curb plastic production and pollution, because the harms to human health and the environment caused by plastics, plastic-associated chemicals and plastic waste transcend national boundaries, are planetary in their scale, and have disproportionate impacts on the health and well-being of people in the world's poorest nations. Effective implementation of the Global Plastics Treaty will require that international action be coordinated and complemented by interventions at the national, regional, and local levels.This Commission urges that a cap on global plastic production with targets, timetables, and national contributions be a central provision of the Global Plastics Treaty. We recommend inclusion of the following additional provisions:The Treaty needs to extend beyond microplastics and marine litter to include all of the many thousands of chemicals incorporated into plastics.The Treaty needs to include a provision banning or severely restricting manufacture and use of unnecessary, avoidable, and problematic plastic items, especially single-use items such as manufactured plastic microbeads.The Treaty needs to include requirements on extended producer responsibility (EPR) that make fossil carbon producers, plastic producers, and the manufacturers of plastic products legally and financially responsible for the safety and end-of-life management of all the materials they produce and sell.The Treaty needs to mandate reductions in the chemical complexity of plastic products; health-protective standards for plastics and plastic additives; a requirement for use of sustainable non-toxic materials; full disclosure of all components; and traceability of components. International cooperation will be essential to implementing and enforcing these standards.The Treaty needs to include SEJ remedies at each stage of the plastic life cycle designed to fill gaps in community knowledge and advance both distributional and procedural equity.This Commission encourages inclusion in the Global Plastic Treaty of a provision calling for exploration of listing at least some plastic polymers as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention.This Commission encourages a strong interface between the Global Plastics Treaty and the Basel and London Conventions to enhance management of hazardous plastic waste and slow current massive exports of plastic waste into the world's least-developed countries.This Commission recommends the creation of a Permanent Science Policy Advisory Body to guide the Treaty's implementation. The main priorities of this Body would be to guide Member States and other stakeholders in evaluating which solutions are most effective in reducing plastic consumption, enhancing plastic waste recovery and recycling, and curbing the generation of plastic waste. This Body could also assess trade-offs among these solutions and evaluate safer alternatives to current plastics. It could monitor the transnational export of plastic waste. It could coordinate robust oceanic-, land-, and air-based MNP monitoring programs.This Commission recommends urgent investment by national governments in research into solutions to the global plastic crisis. This research will need to determine which solutions are most effective and cost-effective in the context of particular countries and assess the risks and benefits of proposed solutions. Oceanographic and environmental research is needed to better measure concentrations and impacts of plastics <10 µm and understand their distribution and fate in the global environment. Biomedical research is needed to elucidate the human health impacts of plastics, especially MNPs. Summary This Commission finds that plastics are both a boon to humanity and a stealth threat to human and planetary health. Plastics convey enormous benefits, but current linear patterns of plastic production, use, and disposal that pay little attention to sustainable design or safe materials and a near absence of recovery, reuse, and recycling are responsible for grave harms to health, widespread environmental damage, great economic costs, and deep societal injustices. These harms are rapidly worsening.While there remain gaps in knowledge about plastics' harms and uncertainties about their full magnitude, the evidence available today demonstrates unequivocally that these impacts are great and that they will increase in severity in the absence of urgent and effective intervention at global scale. Manufacture and use of essential plastics may continue. However, reckless increases in plastic production, and especially increases in the manufacture of an ever-increasing array of unnecessary single-use plastic products, need to be curbed.Global intervention against the plastic crisis is needed now because the costs of failure to act will be immense.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philip J. Landrigan
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Medical Biology Department, MC
| | - Hervé Raps
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Medical Biology Department, MC
| | - Maureen Cropper
- Economics Department, University of Maryland, College Park, US
| | - Caroline Bald
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Patrick Fenichel
- Université Côte d’Azur
- Centre Hospitalier, Universitaire de Nice, FR
| | - Lora E. Fleming
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, UK
| | | | | | | | - Carly Griffin
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | - Mark E. Hahn
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, US
- Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health, US
| | - Budi Haryanto
- Department of Environmental Health, Universitas Indonesia, ID
- Research Center for Climate Change, Universitas Indonesia, ID
| | - Richard Hixson
- College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, UK
| | - Hannah Ianelli
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | - Bryan D. James
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, US
| | | | - Amalia Laborde
- Department of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of the Republic, UY
| | | | - Keith Martin
- Consortium of Universities for Global Health, US
| | - Jenna Mu
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | | | - Adetoun Mustapha
- Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria
- Lead City University, NG
| | - Jia Niu
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, US
| | - Sabine Pahl
- University of Vienna, Austria
- University of Plymouth, UK
| | | | - Maria-Luiza Pedrotti
- Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche sur mer (LOV), Sorbonne Université, FR
| | | | | | - Bhedita Jaya Seewoo
- Minderoo Foundation, AU
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, AU
| | | | - John J. Stegeman
- Biology Department and Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, US
| | - William Suk
- Superfund Research Program, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, US
| | | | - Hideshige Takada
- Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry (LOG), Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, JP
| | | | | | - Zhanyun Wang
- Technology and Society Laboratory, WEmpa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials and Technology, CH
| | - Ella Whitman
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | | | | | - Aroub K. Yousuf
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | - Sarah Dunlop
- Minderoo Foundation, AU
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, AU
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Gupta KK, Sharma KK, Chandra H. Utilization of Bacillus cereus strain CGK5 associated with cow feces in the degradation of commercially available high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Arch Microbiol 2023; 205:101. [PMID: 36862211 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-023-03448-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
The accumulation and mismanagement of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) waste in the environment is a complex problem in the present scenario. Biodegradation of this thermoplastic polymer is a promising environmentally sustainable method that offers a significant opportunity to address plastic waste management with minimal negative repercussion on the environment. In this framework, HDPE-degrading bacterium strain CGK5 was isolated from the fecal matter of cow. The biodegradation efficiency of strain was assessed, including percentage reduction in HDPE weight, cell surface hydrophobicity, extracellular biosurfactant production, viability of surface adhered cells, as well as biomass in terms of protein content. Through molecular techniques, strain CGK5 was identified as Bacillus cereus. Significant weight loss of 1.83% was observed in the HDPE film treated with strain CGK5 for 90 days. The FE-SEM analysis revealed the profused bacterial growth which ultimately caused the distortions in HDPE films. Furthermore, EDX study indicated a significant decrease in percentage carbon content at atomic level, whereas FTIR analysis confirmed chemical groups' transformation as well as an increment in the carbonyl index supposedly caused by bacterial biofilm biodegradation. Our findings shed light on the ability of our strain B. cereus CGK5 to colonize and use HDPE as a sole carbon source, demonstrating its applicability for future eco-friendly biodegradation processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kartikey Kumar Gupta
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Gurukula Kangri (Deemed to be University), Uttarakhand, Haridwar, India
| | - Kamal Kant Sharma
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Gurukula Kangri (Deemed to be University), Uttarakhand, Haridwar, India.
| | - Harish Chandra
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Gurukula Kangri (Deemed to be University), Uttarakhand, Haridwar, India
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Microbial Enzyme Biotechnology to Reach Plastic Waste Circularity: Current Status, Problems and Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043877. [PMID: 36835289 PMCID: PMC9967032 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of synthetic plastic waste in the environment has become a global concern. Microbial enzymes (purified or as whole-cell biocatalysts) represent emerging biotechnological tools for waste circularity; they can depolymerize materials into reusable building blocks, but their contribution must be considered within the context of present waste management practices. This review reports on the prospective of biotechnological tools for plastic bio-recycling within the framework of plastic waste management in Europe. Available biotechnology tools can support polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling. However, PET represents only ≈7% of unrecycled plastic waste. Polyurethanes, the principal unrecycled waste fraction, together with other thermosets and more recalcitrant thermoplastics (e.g., polyolefins) are the next plausible target for enzyme-based depolymerization, even if this process is currently effective only on ideal polyester-based polymers. To extend the contribution of biotechnology to plastic circularity, optimization of collection and sorting systems should be considered to feed chemoenzymatic technologies for the treatment of more recalcitrant and mixed polymers. In addition, new bio-based technologies with a lower environmental impact in comparison with the present approaches should be developed to depolymerize (available or new) plastic materials, that should be designed for the required durability and for being susceptible to the action of enzymes.
Collapse
|
15
|
Merel S. Critical assessment of the Kendrick mass defect analysis as an innovative approach to process high resolution mass spectrometry data for environmental applications. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 313:137443. [PMID: 36464021 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The growing application of high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) over the last decades has dramatically improved our knowledge about the occurrence of environmental contaminants. However, most of the compounds detected remain unknown and the large volume of data generated requires specific processing approaches. Therefore, this study presents the concepts of mass defect (MD), Kendrick mass (KM) and Kendrick mass defect (KMD) to the expert and non-expert reader along with relevant examples of applications in environmental HRMS data processing. A preliminary bibliometric overview indicates that the potential benefits of KMD analysis are rather overlooked in environmental science. In practice, a simple calculation allows transforming a mass from the IUPAC system (normalized so that the mass of 12C is exactly 12) to its corresponding KM normalized on a specific moiety such as CH2 (the mass of CH2 is exactly 14). Then, plotting the KMD according to the nominal KM allows revealing groups of compounds that differ only by their number of CH2 moieties. For instance, data processing using KM and KMD was proven particularly useful to characterize natural organic matter in a sample, to reveal the occurrence of polymers as well as poly/perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFASs), and to search for transformation products (TPs) of a given chemical.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Merel
- INRAE, UR RiverLy, 5 Rue de la Doua, F-69625, Villeurbanne, France.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Khare R, Khare S. Polymer and its effect on environment. J INDIAN CHEM SOC 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jics.2022.100821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
|
17
|
Dey S, Anand U, Kumar V, Kumar S, Ghorai M, Ghosh A, Kant N, Suresh S, Bhattacharya S, Bontempi E, Bhat SA, Dey A. Microbial strategies for degradation of microplastics generated from COVID-19 healthcare waste. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 216:114438. [PMID: 36179880 PMCID: PMC9514963 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic has led to the generation of massive plastic wastes, comprising of onetime useable gloves, masks, tissues, and other personal protective equipment (PPE). Recommendations for the employ of single-use disposable masks made up of various polymeric materials like polyethylene, polyurethane, polyacrylonitrile, and polypropylene, polystyrene, can have significant aftermath on environmental, human as well as animal health. Improper disposal and handling of healthcare wastes and lack of proper management practices are creating serious health hazards and an extra challenge for the local authorities designated for management of solid waste. Most of the COVID-19 medical wastes generated are now being treated by incineration which generates microplastic particles (MPs), dioxin, furans, and various toxic metals, such as cadmium and lead. Moreover, natural degradation and mechanical abrasion of these wastes can lead to the generation of MPs which cause a serious health risk to living beings. It is a major threat to aquatic lives and gets into foods subsequently jeopardizing global food safety. Moreover, the presence of plastic is also considered a threat owing to the increased carbon emission and poses a profound danger to the global food chain. Degradation of MPs by axenic and mixed culture microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, microalgae etc. can be considered an eco-sustainable technique for the mitigation of the microplastic menace. This review primarily deals with the increase in microplastic pollution due to increased use of PPE along with different disinfection methods using chemicals, steam, microwave, autoclave, and incineration which are presently being employed for the treatment of COVID-19 pandemic-related wastes. The biological treatment of the MPs by diverse groups of fungi and bacteria can be an alternative option for the mitigation of microplastic wastes generated from COVID-19 healthcare waste.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Satarupa Dey
- Department of Botany, Shyampur Siddheswari Mahavidyalaya (affiliated to University of Calcutta), Howrah-711312, West Bengal, India.
| | - Uttpal Anand
- Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben Gurion, 8499000, Israel
| | - Vineet Kumar
- Waste Re-processing Division, CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nehru Marg, Nagpur, 440 020, Maharashtra, India; Department of Basic and Applied Sciences, School of Engineering and Sciences, GD Goenka University, Sohna Road, Gurugram, Haryana,122103, India.
| | - Sunil Kumar
- Waste Re-processing Division, CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nehru Marg, Nagpur, 440 020, Maharashtra, India
| | - Mimosa Ghorai
- Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, 86/1 College Street, Kolkata, 700073, West Bengal, India
| | - Arabinda Ghosh
- Department of Botany, Gauhati University, Guwahati, 781014, Assam, India
| | - Nishi Kant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, Delhi, 110016, India
| | - S Suresh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, 462 003, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Sayan Bhattacharya
- School of Ecology and Environment Studies, Nalanda University, Rajgir, Nalanda, 803116, Bihar, India
| | - Elza Bontempi
- INSTM and Chemistry for Technologies Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Via Branze, 38, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Sartaj Ahmad Bhat
- Waste Re-processing Division, CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nehru Marg, Nagpur, 440 020, Maharashtra, India; River Basin Research Center, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan
| | - Abhijit Dey
- Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, 86/1 College Street, Kolkata, 700073, West Bengal, India.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Cheng J, Eyheraguibel B, Jacquin J, Pujo-Pay M, Conan P, Barbe V, Hoypierres J, Deligey G, Halle AT, Bruzaud S, Ghiglione JF, Meistertzheim AL. Biodegradability under marine conditions of bio-based and petroleum-based polymers as substitutes of conventional microparticles. Polym Degrad Stab 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2022.110159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
|
19
|
Zadjelovic V, Erni-Cassola G, Obrador-Viel T, Lester D, Eley Y, Gibson MI, Dorador C, Golyshin PN, Black S, Wellington EMH, Christie-Oleza JA. A mechanistic understanding of polyethylene biodegradation by the marine bacterium Alcanivorax. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 436:129278. [PMID: 35739790 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Polyethylene (PE) is one of the most recalcitrant carbon-based synthetic materials produced and, currently, the most ubiquitous plastic pollutant found in nature. Over time, combined abiotic and biotic processes are thought to eventually breakdown PE. Despite limited evidence of biological PE degradation and speculation that hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria found within the plastisphere is an indication of biodegradation, there is no clear mechanistic understanding of the process. Here, using high-throughput proteomics, we investigated the molecular processes that take place in the hydrocarbon-degrading marine bacterium Alcanivorax sp. 24 when grown in the presence of low density PE (LDPE). As well as efficiently utilising and assimilating the leachate of weathered LDPE, the bacterium was able to reduce the molecular weight distribution (Mw from 122 to 83 kg/mol) and overall mass of pristine LDPE films (0.9 % after 34 days of incubation). Most interestingly, Alcanivorax acquired the isotopic signature of the pristine plastic and induced an extensive array of metabolic pathways for aliphatic compound degradation. Presumably, the primary biodegradation of LDPE by Alcanivorax sp. 24 is possible via the production of extracellular reactive oxygen species as observed both by the material's surface oxidation and the measurement of superoxide in the culture with LDPE. Our findings confirm that hydrocarbon-biodegrading bacteria within the plastisphere may in fact have a role in degrading PE.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vinko Zadjelovic
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
| | - Gabriel Erni-Cassola
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK; Program Man-Society-Environment (MGU), University of Basel, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Theo Obrador-Viel
- Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma 07122, Spain
| | - Daniel Lester
- Polymer Characterisation Research Technology Platform, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Yvette Eley
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT, UK
| | - Matthew I Gibson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Cristina Dorador
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana y Ecología Funcional, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Chile; Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta Angamos 601, Antofagasta, Chile; Centre for Biotechnology & Bioengineering (CeBiB) Santiago, Chile
| | - Peter N Golyshin
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Stuart Black
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, UK
| | | | - Joseph A Christie-Oleza
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK; Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma 07122, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Micrococcus luteus strain CGK112 isolated from cow dung demonstrated efficient biofilm-forming ability and degradation potential toward high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Arch Microbiol 2022; 204:402. [PMID: 35718788 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-022-03023-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Biodegradation is the most promising environmentally sustainable method that offers a significant opportunity with minimal negative environmental consequences while searching for solutions to this global problem of plastic pollution that has now spread to almost everywhere in the entire world. In the present work, HDPE-degrading bacterial strain CGK112 was isolated from the fecal matter of a cow. The bacterial strain was identified as Micrococcus luteus CGK112 by 16S rRNA sequence coding analysis. Significant weight loss, i.e., 3.85% was recorded in the HDPE film treated with strain CGK112 for 90 days. The surface micromorphology was examined using FE-SEM, which revealed spectacular bacterial colonization as well as structural deformation. Furthermore, the EDX study indicated a significant decrease in the atomic percentage of carbon content, whereas FTIR analysis confirmed functional groups alternation as well as an increase in the carbonyl index which can be attributed to the metabolic activity of biofilm. Our findings provide insight into the capacity of our strain CGK112 to colonize and utilize HDPE as a single carbon source, thus promoting its degradation.
Collapse
|
21
|
Barcoto MO, Rodrigues A. Lessons From Insect Fungiculture: From Microbial Ecology to Plastics Degradation. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:812143. [PMID: 35685924 PMCID: PMC9171207 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.812143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities have extensively transformed the biosphere by extracting and disposing of resources, crossing boundaries of planetary threat while causing a global crisis of waste overload. Despite fundamental differences regarding structure and recalcitrance, lignocellulose and plastic polymers share physical-chemical properties to some extent, that include carbon skeletons with similar chemical bonds, hydrophobic properties, amorphous and crystalline regions. Microbial strategies for metabolizing recalcitrant polymers have been selected and optimized through evolution, thus understanding natural processes for lignocellulose modification could aid the challenge of dealing with the recalcitrant human-made polymers spread worldwide. We propose to look for inspiration in the charismatic fungal-growing insects to understand multipartite degradation of plant polymers. Independently evolved in diverse insect lineages, fungiculture embraces passive or active fungal cultivation for food, protection, and structural purposes. We consider there is much to learn from these symbioses, in special from the community-level degradation of recalcitrant biomass and defensive metabolites. Microbial plant-degrading systems at the core of insect fungicultures could be promising candidates for degrading synthetic plastics. Here, we first compare the degradation of lignocellulose and plastic polymers, with emphasis in the overlapping microbial players and enzymatic activities between these processes. Second, we review the literature on diverse insect fungiculture systems, focusing on features that, while supporting insects' ecology and evolution, could also be applied in biotechnological processes. Third, taking lessons from these microbial communities, we suggest multidisciplinary strategies to identify microbial degraders, degrading enzymes and pathways, as well as microbial interactions and interdependencies. Spanning from multiomics to spectroscopy, microscopy, stable isotopes probing, enrichment microcosmos, and synthetic communities, these strategies would allow for a systemic understanding of the fungiculture ecology, driving to application possibilities. Detailing how the metabolic landscape is entangled to achieve ecological success could inspire sustainable efforts for mitigating the current environmental crisis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mariana O. Barcoto
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
- Department of General and Applied Biology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
| | - Andre Rodrigues
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
- Department of General and Applied Biology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Eldin AM, Al-Sharnouby SFS, ElGabry KIM, Ramadan AI. Aspergillus terreus, Penicillium sp. and Bacillus sp. isolated from mangrove soil having laccase and peroxidase role in depolymerization of polyethylene bags. Process Biochem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2022.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
23
|
Melchor-Martínez EM, Macías-Garbett R, Alvarado-Ramírez L, Araújo RG, Sosa-Hernández JE, Ramírez-Gamboa D, Parra-Arroyo L, Alvarez AG, Monteverde RPB, Cazares KAS, Reyes-Mayer A, Yáñez Lino M, Iqbal HMN, Parra-Saldívar R. Towards a Circular Economy of Plastics: An Evaluation of the Systematic Transition to a New Generation of Bioplastics. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14061203. [PMID: 35335534 PMCID: PMC8955033 DOI: 10.3390/polym14061203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Plastics have become an essential part of the modern world thanks to their appealing physical and chemical properties as well as their low production cost. The most common type of polymers used for plastic account for 90% of the total production and are made from petroleum-based nonrenewable resources. Concerns over the sustainability of the current production model and the environmental implications of traditional plastics have fueled the demand for greener formulations and alternatives. In the last decade, new plastics manufactured from renewable sources and biological processes have emerged from research and have been established as a commercially viable solution with less adverse effects. Nevertheless, economic and legislative challenges for biobased plastics hinder their widespread implementation. This review summarizes the history of plastics over the last century, including the most relevant bioplastics and production methods, the environmental impact and mitigation of the adverse effects of conventional and emerging plastics, and the regulatory landscape that renewable and recyclable bioplastics face to reach a sustainable future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elda M. Melchor-Martínez
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (R.M.-G.); (L.A.-R.); (R.G.A.); (J.E.S.-H.); (D.R.-G.); (L.P.-A.)
| | - Rodrigo Macías-Garbett
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (R.M.-G.); (L.A.-R.); (R.G.A.); (J.E.S.-H.); (D.R.-G.); (L.P.-A.)
| | - Lynette Alvarado-Ramírez
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (R.M.-G.); (L.A.-R.); (R.G.A.); (J.E.S.-H.); (D.R.-G.); (L.P.-A.)
| | - Rafael G. Araújo
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (R.M.-G.); (L.A.-R.); (R.G.A.); (J.E.S.-H.); (D.R.-G.); (L.P.-A.)
| | - Juan Eduardo Sosa-Hernández
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (R.M.-G.); (L.A.-R.); (R.G.A.); (J.E.S.-H.); (D.R.-G.); (L.P.-A.)
| | - Diana Ramírez-Gamboa
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (R.M.-G.); (L.A.-R.); (R.G.A.); (J.E.S.-H.); (D.R.-G.); (L.P.-A.)
| | - Lizeth Parra-Arroyo
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (R.M.-G.); (L.A.-R.); (R.G.A.); (J.E.S.-H.); (D.R.-G.); (L.P.-A.)
| | - Abraham Garza Alvarez
- Cadena Comercial OXXO S.A de C.V., Monterrey 64480, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (A.G.A.); (R.P.B.M.); (K.A.S.C.)
| | | | | | - Adriana Reyes-Mayer
- Centro de Caracterización e Investigación en Materiales S.A. de C.V., Jiutepec 62578, Morelos, Mexico;
| | - Mauricio Yáñez Lino
- Polymer Solutions & Innovation S.A. de C.V., Jiutepec 62578, Morelos, Mexico;
| | - Hafiz M. N. Iqbal
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (R.M.-G.); (L.A.-R.); (R.G.A.); (J.E.S.-H.); (D.R.-G.); (L.P.-A.)
- Correspondence: (H.M.N.I.); (R.P.-S.)
| | - Roberto Parra-Saldívar
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (R.M.-G.); (L.A.-R.); (R.G.A.); (J.E.S.-H.); (D.R.-G.); (L.P.-A.)
- Correspondence: (H.M.N.I.); (R.P.-S.)
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Size fractionation of high-density polyethylene breakdown nanoplastics reveals different toxic response in Daphnia magna. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3109. [PMID: 35210488 PMCID: PMC8873248 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06991-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Plastic litter is a growing environmental problem. Recently, microplastics and nanoplastics, produced during breakdown processes in nature, have been in focus. Although there is a growing knowledge concerning microplastic, little is still known about the effect of nanoplastics. We have showed that mechanical breakdown of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), followed by filtration through 0.8 µm filters, produces material toxic to the freshwater zooplankton Daphnia magna and affected the reproduction in life-time tests. However, further size fractionation and purification reveals that the nanoplastics fraction is non-toxic at these concentrations, whereas the fraction with smaller sizes, below ~ 3 nm, is toxic. The HDPE nanoplastics are highly oxidized and with an average diameter of 110 nm. We conclude that mechanical breakdown of HDPE may cause environmental problems, but that the fraction of leached additives and short chain HDPE are more problematic than HDPE nanoplastics.
Collapse
|
25
|
Zhou Y, Kumar M, Sarsaiya S, Sirohi R, Awasthi SK, Sindhu R, Binod P, Pandey A, Bolan NS, Zhang Z, Singh L, Kumar S, Awasthi MK. Challenges and opportunities in bioremediation of micro-nano plastics: A review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 802:149823. [PMID: 34454140 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Rising level of micro-nano plastics (MNPs) in the natural ecosystem adversely impact the health of the environment and living organisms globally. MNPs enter in to the agro-ecosystem, flora and fauna, and human body via trophic transfer, ingestion and inhalation, resulting impediment in blood vessel, infertility, and abnormal behaviors. Therefore, it becomes indispensable to apply a novel approach to remediate MNPs from natural environment. Amongst the several prevailing technologies of MNPs remediation, microbial remediation is considered as greener technology. Microbial degradation of plastics is typically influenced by several biotic as well as abiotic factors, such as enzymatic mechanisms, substrates and co-substrates concentration, temperature, pH, oxidative stress, etc. Therefore, it is pivotal to recognize the key pathways adopted by microbes to utilize plastic fragments as a sole carbon source for the growth and development. In this context, this review critically discussed the role of various microbes and their enzymatic mechanisms involved in biodegradation of MNPs in wastewater (WW) stream, municipal sludge, municipal solid waste (MSW), and composting starting with biological and toxicological impacts of MNPs. Moreover, this review comprehensively discussed the deployment of various MNPs remediation technologies, such as enzymatic, advanced molecular, and bio-membrane technologies in fostering the bioremediation of MNPs from various environmental compartments along with their pros and cons and prospects for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuwen Zhou
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, PR China
| | - Manish Kumar
- CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nehru Marg, Nagpur 440020, Maharashtra, India
| | - Surendra Sarsaiya
- Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology and Joint International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China
| | - Ranjna Sirohi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sanjeev Kumar Awasthi
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, PR China
| | - Raveendran Sindhu
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695019, India
| | - Parameswaran Binod
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695019, India
| | - Ashok Pandey
- Centre for Innovation and Translational Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow 226 001, India
| | - Nanthi S Bolan
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6001, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6001, Australia; School of Engineering, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Zengqiang Zhang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, PR China
| | - Lal Singh
- CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nehru Marg, Nagpur 440020, Maharashtra, India
| | - Sunil Kumar
- CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nehru Marg, Nagpur 440020, Maharashtra, India
| | - Mukesh Kumar Awasthi
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Odobel C, Dussud C, Philip L, Derippe G, Lauters M, Eyheraguibel B, Burgaud G, Ter Halle A, Meistertzheim AL, Bruzaud S, Barbe V, Ghiglione JF. Bacterial Abundance, Diversity and Activity During Long-Term Colonization of Non-biodegradable and Biodegradable Plastics in Seawater. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:734782. [PMID: 34867851 PMCID: PMC8637277 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.734782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The microorganisms living on plastics called "plastisphere" have been classically described as very abundant, highly diverse, and very specific when compared to the surrounding environments, but their potential ability to biodegrade various plastic types in natural conditions have been poorly investigated. Here, we follow the successive phases of biofilm development and maturation after long-term immersion in seawater (7 months) on conventional [fossil-based polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS)] and biodegradable plastics [biobased polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV), or fossil-based polycaprolactone (PCL)], as well as on artificially aged or non-aged PE without or with prooxidant additives [oxobiodegradable (OXO)]. First, we confirmed that the classical primo-colonization and growth phases of the biofilms that occurred during the first 10 days of immersion in seawater were more or less independent of the plastic type. After only 1 month, we found congruent signs of biodegradation for some bio-based and also fossil-based materials. A continuous growth of the biofilm during the 7 months of observation (measured by epifluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry) was found on PHBV, PCL, and artificially aged OXO, together with a continuous increase in intracellular (3H-leucine incorporation) and extracellular activities (lipase, aminopeptidase, and β-glucosidase) as well as subsequent changes in biofilm diversity that became specific to each polymer type (16S rRNA metabarcoding). No sign of biodegradation was visible for PE, PS, and PLA under our experimental conditions. We also provide a list of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) potentially involved in the biodegradation of these polymers under natural seawater conditions, such as Pseudohongiella sp. and Marinobacter sp. on PCL, Marinicella litoralis and Celeribacter sp. on PHBV, or Myxococcales on artificially aged OXO. This study opens new routes for a deeper understanding of the polymers' biodegradability in seawaters, especially when considering an alternative to conventional fossil-based plastics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlene Odobel
- CNRS, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Sorbonne Université, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Claire Dussud
- CNRS, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Sorbonne Université, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Lena Philip
- CNRS, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Sorbonne Université, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France.,SAS Plastic@Sea, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Gabrielle Derippe
- CNRS, UMR 6027, Institut de Recherche Dupuy de Lôme (IRDL), Université de Bretagne-Sud, Lorient, France
| | - Marion Lauters
- CNRS, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Sorbonne Université, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Boris Eyheraguibel
- CNRS, UMR 6296, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand (ICCF), Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Gaëtan Burgaud
- CNRS, EA 3882, Université de Brest, Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie Microbionne (LUBEM), Plouzané, France
| | - Alexandra Ter Halle
- CNRS, UMR 5623, Laboratoire des Interactions Moléculaires et Réactivité Chimique et Photochimique (IMRCP), Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Stephane Bruzaud
- CNRS, UMR 6027, Institut de Recherche Dupuy de Lôme (IRDL), Université de Bretagne-Sud, Lorient, France
| | - Valerie Barbe
- CEA, CNRS, Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Jean-Francois Ghiglione
- CNRS, UMR 7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Sorbonne Université, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Walsh AN, Reddy CM, Niles SF, McKenna AM, Hansel CM, Ward CP. Plastic Formulation is an Emerging Control of Its Photochemical Fate in the Ocean. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:12383-12392. [PMID: 34494430 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c02272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Sunlight exposure is a control of long-term plastic fate in the environment that converts plastic into oxygenated products spanning the polymer, dissolved, and gas phases. However, our understanding of how plastic formulation influences the amount and composition of these photoproducts remains incomplete. Here, we characterized the initial formulations and resulting dissolved photoproducts of four single-use consumer polyethylene (PE) bags from major retailers and one pure PE film. Consumer PE bags contained 15-36% inorganic additives, primarily calcium carbonate (13-34%) and titanium dioxide (TiO2; 1-2%). Sunlight exposure consistently increased production of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) relative to leaching in the dark (3- to 80-fold). All consumer PE bags produced more DOC during sunlight exposure than the pure PE (1.2- to 2.0-fold). The DOC leached after sunlight exposure increasingly reflected the 13C and 14C isotopic composition of the plastic. Ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry revealed that sunlight exposure substantially increased the number of DOC formulas detected (1.1- to 50-fold). TiO2-containing bags photochemically degraded into the most compositionally similar DOC, with 68-94% of photoproduced formulas in common with at least one other TiO2-containing bag. Conversely, only 28% of photoproduced formulas from the pure PE were detected in photoproduced DOC from the consumer PE. Overall, these findings suggest that plastic formulation, especially TiO2, plays a determining role in the amount and composition of DOC generated by sunlight. Consequently, studies on pure, unweathered polymers may not accurately represent the fates and impacts of the plastics entering the ocean.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna N Walsh
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Christopher M Reddy
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Sydney F Niles
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32310-4005, United States
| | - Amy M McKenna
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32310-4005, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, 1872 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Colleen M Hansel
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Collin P Ward
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Rummel CD, Lechtenfeld OJ, Kallies R, Benke A, Herzsprung P, Rynek R, Wagner S, Potthoff A, Jahnke A, Schmitt-Jansen M. Conditioning Film and Early Biofilm Succession on Plastic Surfaces. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:11006-11018. [PMID: 34339175 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c07875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
In the context of environmental plastic pollution, it is still under debate if and how the "plastisphere", a plastic-specific microbial community, emerges. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the first conditioning film of dissolved organic matter (DOM) sorbs selectively to polymer substrates and that microbial attachment is governed in a substrate-dependent manner. We investigated the adsorption of stream water-derived DOM to polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), and glass (as control) including UV-weathered surfaces by Fourier-transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry. Generally, the saturated, high-molecular mass and thus more hydrophobic fraction of the original stream water DOM preferentially adsorbed to the substrates. The UV-weathered polymers adsorbed more polar, hydrophilic OM as compared to the dark controls. The amplicon sequencing data of the initial microbial colonization process revealed a tendency of substrate specificity for biofilm attachment after 24 h and a clear convergence of the communities after 72 h of incubation. Conclusively, the adsorbed OM layer developed depending on the materials' surface properties and increased the water contact angles, indicating higher surface hydrophobicity as compared to pristine surfaces. This study improves our understanding of molecular and biological interactions at the polymer/water interface that are relevant to understand the ecological impact of plastic pollution on a community level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christoph D Rummel
- Department of Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Oliver J Lechtenfeld
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - René Kallies
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Annegret Benke
- Department of Powder and Suspension Characterization, Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, Winterbergstr. 28, 01277 Dresden, Germany
| | - Peter Herzsprung
- Department of Lake Research, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Brückstr. 3a, 39114 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Robby Rynek
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stephan Wagner
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Water and Energy Management (iwe), University of Applied Science, Alfons-Goppel-Platz 1, 95028 Hof, Germany
| | - Annegret Potthoff
- Department of Powder and Suspension Characterization, Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, Winterbergstr. 28, 01277 Dresden, Germany
| | - Annika Jahnke
- Department Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52047 Aachen, Germany
| | - Mechthild Schmitt-Jansen
- Department of Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Abstract
Plastic contamination of the environment is a global problem whose magnitude justifies the consideration of plastics as emergent geomaterials with chemistries not previously seen in Earth's history. At the elemental level, plastics are predominantly carbon. The comparison of plastic stocks and fluxes to those of carbon reveals that the quantities of plastics present in some ecosystems rival the quantity of natural organic carbon and suggests that geochemists should now consider plastics in their analyses. Acknowledging plastics as geomaterials and adopting geochemical insights and methods can expedite our understanding of plastics in the Earth system. Plastics also can be used as global-scale tracers to advance Earth system science.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aron Stubbins
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. .,Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | | - Samuel E Muñoz
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Thomas S Bianchi
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Lixin Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Nikolaivits E, Pantelic B, Azeem M, Taxeidis G, Babu R, Topakas E, Brennan Fournet M, Nikodinovic-Runic J. Progressing Plastics Circularity: A Review of Mechano-Biocatalytic Approaches for Waste Plastic (Re)valorization. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:696040. [PMID: 34239864 PMCID: PMC8260098 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.696040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Inspirational concepts, and the transfer of analogs from natural biology to science and engineering, has produced many excellent technologies to date, spanning vaccines to modern architectural feats. This review highlights that answers to the pressing global petroleum-based plastic waste challenges, can be found within the mechanics and mechanisms natural ecosystems. Here, a suite of technological and engineering approaches, which can be implemented to operate in tandem with nature's prescription for regenerative material circularity, is presented as a route to plastics sustainability. A number of mechanical/green chemical (pre)treatment methodologies, which simulate natural weathering and arthropodal dismantling activities are reviewed, including: mechanical milling, reactive extrusion, ultrasonic-, UV- and degradation using supercritical CO2. Akin to natural mechanical degradation, the purpose of the pretreatments is to render the plastic materials more amenable to microbial and biocatalytic activities, to yield effective depolymerization and (re)valorization. While biotechnological based degradation and depolymerization of both recalcitrant and bioplastics are at a relatively early stage of development, the potential for acceleration and expedition of valuable output monomers and oligomers yields is considerable. To date a limited number of independent mechano-green chemical approaches and a considerable and growing number of standalone enzymatic and microbial degradation studies have been reported. A convergent strategy, one which forges mechano-green chemical treatments together with the enzymatic and microbial actions, is largely lacking at this time. An overview of the reported microbial and enzymatic degradations of petroleum-based synthetic polymer plastics, specifically: low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyurethanes (PU) and polycaprolactone (PCL) and selected prevalent bio-based or bio-polymers [polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and polybutylene succinate (PBS)], is detailed. The harvesting of depolymerization products to produce new materials and higher-value products is also a key endeavor in effectively completing the circle for plastics. Our challenge is now to effectively combine and conjugate the requisite cross disciplinary approaches and progress the essential science and engineering technologies to categorically complete the life-cycle for plastics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Efstratios Nikolaivits
- Industrial Biotechnology & Biocatalysis Group, Biotechnology Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Brana Pantelic
- Eco-Biotechnology & Drug Development Group, Laboratory for Microbial Molecular Genetics and Ecology, Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - George Taxeidis
- Industrial Biotechnology & Biocatalysis Group, Biotechnology Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Ramesh Babu
- AMBER Centre, CRANN Institute, School of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Evangelos Topakas
- Industrial Biotechnology & Biocatalysis Group, Biotechnology Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Jasmina Nikodinovic-Runic
- Eco-Biotechnology & Drug Development Group, Laboratory for Microbial Molecular Genetics and Ecology, Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Sales JCS, Santos AG, de Castro AM, Coelho MAZ. A critical view on the technology readiness level (TRL) of microbial plastics biodegradation. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 37:116. [DOI: 10.1007/s11274-021-03089-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
|
32
|
From lignocellulose to plastics: Knowledge transfer on the degradation approaches by fungi. Biotechnol Adv 2021; 50:107770. [PMID: 33989704 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we argue that there is much to be learned by transferring knowledge from research on lignocellulose degradation to that on plastic. Plastic waste accumulates in the environment to hazardous levels, because it is inherently recalcitrant to biological degradation. Plants evolved lignocellulose to be resistant to degradation, but with time, fungi became capable of utilising it for their nutrition. Examples of how fungal strategies to degrade lignocellulose could be insightful for plastic degradation include how fungi overcome the hydrophobicity of lignin (e.g. production of hydrophobins) and crystallinity of cellulose (e.g. oxidative approaches). In parallel, knowledge of the methods for understanding lignocellulose degradation could be insightful such as advanced microscopy, genomic and post-genomic approaches (e.g. gene expression analysis). The known limitations of biological lignocellulose degradation, such as the necessity for physiochemical pretreatments for biofuel production, can be predictive of potential restrictions of biological plastic degradation. Taking lessons from lignocellulose degradation for plastic degradation is also important for biosafety as engineered plastic-degrading fungi could also have increased plant biomass degrading capabilities. Even though plastics are significantly different from lignocellulose because they lack hydrolysable C-C or C-O bonds and therefore have higher recalcitrance, there are apparent similarities, e.g. both types of compounds are mixtures of hydrophobic polymers with amorphous and crystalline regions, and both require hydrolases and oxidoreductases for their degradation. Thus, many lessons could be learned from fungal lignocellulose degradation.
Collapse
|
33
|
Tarafdar A, Lee JU, Jeong JE, Lee H, Jung Y, Oh HB, Woo HY, Kwon JH. Biofilm development of Bacillus siamensis ATKU1 on pristine short chain low-density polyethylene: A case study on microbe-microplastics interaction. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 409:124516. [PMID: 33243655 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A low-density polyethylene (LDPE) degrading bacterial strain (ATKU1) was isolated (99.86% similar with Bacillus siamensis KCTC 13613T) from a plastic dumping site to study interactions between microplastics (< 5 mm) and microorganisms. The strain was found (by scanning electron microscopy) to form biofilm on the microplastic surface after its interaction with LDPE (avg. Mw~4,000 Da and avg. Mn~1,700 Da) as a sole carbon source. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed the biofilm's 3-D developmental patterns and significantly increased Young's modulus of the LDPE surface after microbial treatment. Most of the viable bacteria attached to biofilms rather than media, which suggested their ability to utilize LDPE. Absorption bands of carbonyl, alkenyl, acyl, ester, primary-secondary alcohol, alkene groups and nitric oxides were found on the treated LDPE particles using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry of the media indicated compositional shifts of the compounds after treatment (i.e., increase in the degree of unsaturation and increment in oxygen-to-carbon ratio) and presence of unsaturated hydrocarbons, polyketides, terpenoids, aliphatic/peptides, dicarboxylic acids, lipid-like compounds were hinted. The plastic degrading abilities of Bacillus siamensis ATKU1 suggest its probable application for large scale plastic bioremediation facility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abhrajyoti Tarafdar
- Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, South Korea.
| | - Jae-Ung Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 04107, South Korea.
| | - Ji-Eun Jeong
- Department of Chemistry, Research Institute for Natural Sciences, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, South Korea.
| | - Hanbyul Lee
- Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, South Korea.
| | - Yerin Jung
- Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, South Korea.
| | - Han Bin Oh
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 04107, South Korea.
| | - Han Young Woo
- Department of Chemistry, Research Institute for Natural Sciences, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, South Korea.
| | - Jung-Hwan Kwon
- Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, South Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Taghavi N, Udugama IA, Zhuang WQ, Baroutian S. Challenges in biodegradation of non-degradable thermoplastic waste: From environmental impact to operational readiness. Biotechnol Adv 2021; 49:107731. [PMID: 33785376 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Non-degradable plastics such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are among the most generated plastic wastes in municipal and industrial waste streams. The mismanagement of abandoned plastics and toxic plastic additives have threatened marine and land fauna as well as human beings for several decades. The available thermal processes can degrade plastic at pilot- and commercial-scale. However, they are energy-intensive and can generate toxic gases. Degradation of plastic waste with the help of live microorganisms (biodegradation) is an eco- and environmentally friendly method for plastic degradation, although the slow processing time and low degradation rate still hinder its applications at pilot- and large-scale. In this review, the advantages and limitations of current plastic degradation methods, their technology readiness levels (TRL), biodegradation mechanisms and the associated challenges in biodegradation are assessed in detail. Based on this analysis, a path toward an efficient and greener way toward degradation of non-recyclable single-use PE, PP, PS and PET plastic is proposed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Navid Taghavi
- Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
| | - Isuru Abeykoon Udugama
- Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand; Process and Systems Engineering Centre (PROSYS), Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
| | - Wei-Qin Zhuang
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
| | - Saeid Baroutian
- Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Mohanan N, Montazer Z, Sharma PK, Levin DB. Microbial and Enzymatic Degradation of Synthetic Plastics. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:580709. [PMID: 33324366 PMCID: PMC7726165 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.580709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 233] [Impact Index Per Article: 58.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic plastics are pivotal in our current lifestyle and therefore, its accumulation is a major concern for environment and human health. Petroleum-derived (petro-)polymers such as polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyurethane (PU), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are extremely recalcitrant to natural biodegradation pathways. Some microorganisms with the ability to degrade petro-polymers under in vitro conditions have been isolated and characterized. In some cases, the enzymes expressed by these microbes have been cloned and sequenced. The rate of polymer biodegradation depends on several factors including chemical structures, molecular weights, and degrees of crystallinity. Polymers are large molecules having both regular crystals (crystalline region) and irregular groups (amorphous region), where the latter provides polymers with flexibility. Highly crystalline polymers like polyethylene (95%), are rigid with a low capacity to resist impacts. PET-based plastics possess a high degree of crystallinity (30-50%), which is one of the principal reasons for their low rate of microbial degradation, which is projected to take more than 50 years for complete degraded in the natural environment, and hundreds of years if discarded into the oceans, due to their lower temperature and oxygen availability. The enzymatic degradation occurs in two stages: adsorption of enzymes on the polymer surface, followed by hydro-peroxidation/hydrolysis of the bonds. The sources of plastic-degrading enzymes can be found in microorganisms from various environments as well as digestive intestine of some invertebrates. Microbial and enzymatic degradation of waste petro-plastics is a promising strategy for depolymerization of waste petro-plastics into polymer monomers for recycling, or to covert waste plastics into higher value bioproducts, such as biodegradable polymers via mineralization. The objective of this review is to outline the advances made in the microbial degradation of synthetic plastics and, overview the enzymes involved in biodegradation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nisha Mohanan
- Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Zahra Montazer
- Faculty of Food Engineering, The Educational Complex of Agriculture and Animal Science, Torbat-e-jam, Iran
| | - Parveen K. Sharma
- Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - David B. Levin
- Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Rose RS, Richardson KH, Latvanen EJ, Hanson CA, Resmini M, Sanders IA. Microbial Degradation of Plastic in Aqueous Solutions Demonstrated by CO 2 Evolution and Quantification. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21041176. [PMID: 32053975 PMCID: PMC7072786 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21041176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The environmental accumulation of plastics worldwide is a consequence of the durability of the material. Alternative polymers, marketed as biodegradable, present a potential solution to mitigate their ecological damage. However, understanding of biodegradability has been hindered by a lack of reproducible testing methods. We developed a novel method to evaluate the biodegradability of plastic samples based on the monitoring of bacterial respiration in aqueous media via the quantification of CO2 produced, where the only carbon source available is from the polymer. Rhodococcus rhodochrous and Alcanivorax borkumensis were used as model organisms for soil and marine systems, respectively. Our results demonstrate that this approach is reproducible and can be used with a variety of plastics, allowing comparison of the relative biodegradability of the different materials. In the case of low-density polyethylene, the study demonstrated a clear correlation between the molecular weight of the sample and CO2 released, taken as a measure of biodegradability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth-Sarah Rose
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; (K.H.R.); (E.J.L.); (C.A.H.); (M.R.); (I.A.S.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Katherine H. Richardson
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; (K.H.R.); (E.J.L.); (C.A.H.); (M.R.); (I.A.S.)
| | - Elmeri Johannes Latvanen
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; (K.H.R.); (E.J.L.); (C.A.H.); (M.R.); (I.A.S.)
| | - China A. Hanson
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; (K.H.R.); (E.J.L.); (C.A.H.); (M.R.); (I.A.S.)
- Microbiology@UCL, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Marina Resmini
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; (K.H.R.); (E.J.L.); (C.A.H.); (M.R.); (I.A.S.)
| | - Ian A. Sanders
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; (K.H.R.); (E.J.L.); (C.A.H.); (M.R.); (I.A.S.)
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Challenges with Verifying Microbial Degradation of Polyethylene. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:polym12010123. [PMID: 31948075 PMCID: PMC7022683 DOI: 10.3390/polym12010123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyethylene (PE) is the most abundant synthetic, petroleum-based plastic materials produced globally, and one of the most resistant to biodegradation, resulting in massive accumulation in the environment. Although the microbial degradation of polyethylene has been reported, complete biodegradation of polyethylene has not been achieved, and rapid degradation of polyethylene under ambient conditions in the environment is still not feasible. Experiments reported in the literature suffer from a number of limitations, and conclusive evidence for the complete biodegradation of polyethylene by microorganisms has been elusive. These limitations include the lack of a working definition for the biodegradation of polyethylene that can lead to testable hypotheses, a non-uniform description of experimental conditions used, and variations in the type(s) of polyethylene used, leading to a profound limitation in our understanding of the processes and mechanisms involved in the microbial degradation of polyethylene. The objective of this review is to outline the challenges in polyethylene degradation experiments and clarify the parameters required to achieve polyethylene biodegradation. This review emphasizes the necessity of developing a biochemically-based definition for the biodegradation of polyethylene (and other synthetic plastics) to simplify the comparison of results of experiments focused for the microbial degradation of polyethylene.
Collapse
|
38
|
Syranidou E, Karkanorachaki K, Amorotti F, Avgeropoulos A, Kolvenbach B, Zhou NY, Fava F, Corvini PFX, Kalogerakis N. Biodegradation of mixture of plastic films by tailored marine consortia. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2019; 375:33-42. [PMID: 31039462 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.04.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This work sheds light on the physicochemical changes of naturally weathered polymer surfaces along with changes of polymer buoyancy due to biofilm formation and degradation processes. To support the degradation hypothesis, a microcosm experiment was conducted where a mixture of naturally weathered plastic pieces was incubated with an indigenous pelagic community. A series of analyses were employed in order to describe the alteration of the physicochemical characteristics of the polymer (FTIR, SEC and GPC, sinking velocity) as well as the biofilm community (NGS). At the end of phase II, the fraction of double bonds in the surface of microbially treated PE films increased while changes were also observed in the profile of the PS films. The molecular weight of PE pieces increased with incubation time reaching the molecular weight of the virgin pieces (230,000 g mol-1) at month 5 but the buoyancy displayed no difference throughout the experimental period. The number-average molecular weight of PS pieces decreased (33% and 27% in INDG and BIOG treatment respectively), implying chain scission; accelerated (by more than 30%) sinking velocities compared to the initial weathered pieces were also measured for PS films with biofilm on their surface. The orders Rhodobacterales, Oceanospirillales and Burkholderiales dominated the distinct platisphere communities and the genera Bacillus and Pseudonocardia discriminate these assemblages from the planktonic counterpart. The functional analysis predicts overrepresentation of adhesive cells carrying xenobiotic and hydrocarbon degradation genes. Taking these into account, we can suggest that tailored marine consortia have the ability to thrive in the presence of mixtures of plastics and participate in their degradation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Evdokia Syranidou
- School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece
| | | | - Filippo Amorotti
- School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece; Gruppo HERA srl, Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Boris Kolvenbach
- Institute for Ecopreneurship, School of Life Sciences, FHNW, Switzerland
| | - Ning-Yi Zhou
- Department of Microbial Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fabio Fava
- Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering (DICAM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Nicolas Kalogerakis
- School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece; Department of Chemical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Kundungal H, Gangarapu M, Sarangapani S, Patchaiyappan A, Devipriya SP. Efficient biodegradation of polyethylene (HDPE) waste by the plastic-eating lesser waxworm (Achroia grisella). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 26:18509-18519. [PMID: 31049864 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05038-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Polyethylene (PE) is one of the major persistent plastic that is not biodegradable at considerable rates in most environments, and is the major source of unceasing environmental pollution. Recently, biodegradation of plastic wastes through waxworms and mealworms were reported. The present study focuses on the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) degradation capabilities of the larvae of Achroia grisella (lesser waxworm) and its ability to complete its life cycle when fed with HDPE. Effects of added nutrition on PE degradation were assessed, providing wax comb as co-feed (PE-WC). The egested frass of the waxworm fed on waxcomb (WC), PE, and PE-WC were studied by analyzing the changes in physiochemical properties through FTIR and 1H NMR techniques in addition to weight loss percentage of PE and survival rates of the tested lesser waxworms. The post-degradation studies of WC and PE showed 90.5 ± 1.2% and 43.3 ± 1.6% weight loss, respectively, by a group of 100 lesser waxworms. Over an 8-day period, PE consumption increased with an ingestion of 1.83 mg of PE per day per larvae. Supplementing the PE feed of lesser waxworms with WC facilitated enhanced PE degradation showing 69.6 ± 3.2% weight loss. Twenty-eight day survival rates for lesser waxworms fed on WC, PE, and PE-WC were 91.3 ± 1.01%, 74.6 ± 2.9%, and 86 ± 1.4%, respectively. The FTIR and 1H NMR analysis of egested frass indicated formation of new functional organic groups, supporting biodegradation of PE in lesser waxworms. The frass of the lesser waxworm fed on PE samples shows the presence of new carbonyl and alcoholic groups with increase in unsaturated hydrocarbon indicating formation of biodegraded intermediates. Lesser waxworms fed with WC, PE, and PE-WC completed all life cycle stages (larvae, pupae, moth, and egg) developing into a second generation. The second generation of PE-WC fed larvae of A. grisella efficiently degrades PE at par with first generation counterparts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Harsha Kundungal
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, 605014, India
| | - Manjari Gangarapu
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, 605014, India
| | - Saran Sarangapani
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, 605014, India
| | - Arunkumar Patchaiyappan
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, 605014, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Simultaneous bioconversion of lignocellulosic residues and oxodegradable polyethylene by Pleurotus ostreatus for biochar production, enriched with phosphate solubilizing bacteria for agricultural use. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217100. [PMID: 31095642 PMCID: PMC6521990 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A simultaneous treatment of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) and low density oxodegradable polyethylene (LDPEoxo) was carried-out using Pleurotus ostreatus at microcosm scale to obtain biotransformed plastic and oxidized lignocellulosic biomass. This product was used as raw matter (RM) to produce biochar enriched with phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB). Biochar potential as biofertilizer was evaluated in Allium cepa culture at greenhouse scale. Experiments including lignocellulosic mix and LDPEoxo were performed for 75 days in microcosm. Biotransformation progress was performed by monitoring total organic carbon (TOC), CO2 production, laccase (Lac), manganese peroxidase (MnP), and lignin peroxidase (LiP) enzymatic activities. Physical LDPEoxo changes were assessed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and static contact angle (SCA) and chemical changes by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results revealed P. ostreatus was capable of LCB and LDPEoxo biotransformation, obtaining 41% total organic carbon (TOC) removal with CO2 production of 2,323 mg Kg-1 and enzyme activities of 169,438 UKg-1, 5,535 UKg-1 and 5,267 UKg-1 for LiP, MnP and Lac, respectively. Regarding LDPEoxo, SCA was decreased by 84%, with an increase in signals at 1,076 cm-1 and 3,271 cm-1, corresponding to C-O and CO-H bonds. A decrease in signals was observed related to material degradation at 2,928 cm-1, 2,848 cm-1, agreeing with CH2 asymmetrical and symmetrical stretching, respectively. PSB enriched biochar favored A. cepa plant growth during the five-week evaluation period. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an in vitro circular production model, where P. ostreatus was employed at a microcosmos level to bioconvert LCB and LDPEoxo residues from the agroindustrial sector, followed by thermoconversion to produce an enriched biochar with PSB to be used as a biofertilizer to grow A. cepa at greenhouse scale.
Collapse
|
41
|
Jacquin J, Cheng J, Odobel C, Pandin C, Conan P, Pujo-Pay M, Barbe V, Meistertzheim AL, Ghiglione JF. Microbial Ecotoxicology of Marine Plastic Debris: A Review on Colonization and Biodegradation by the "Plastisphere". Front Microbiol 2019; 10:865. [PMID: 31073297 PMCID: PMC6497127 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last decades, it has become clear that plastic pollution presents a global societal and environmental challenge given its increasing presence in the oceans. A growing literature has focused on the microbial life growing on the surfaces of these pollutants called the "plastisphere," but the general concepts of microbial ecotoxicology have only rarely been integrated. Microbial ecotoxicology deals with (i) the impact of pollutants on microbial communities and inversely (ii) how much microbes can influence their biodegradation. The goal of this review is to enlighten the growing literature of the last 15 years on microbial ecotoxicology related to plastic pollution in the oceans. First, we focus on the impact of plastic on marine microbial life and on the various functions it ensures in the ecosystems. In this part, we also discuss the driving factors influencing biofilm development on plastic surfaces and the potential role of plastic debris as vector for dispersal of harmful pathogen species. Second, we give a critical view of the extent to which marine microorganisms can participate in the decomposition of plastic in the oceans and of the relevance of current standard tests for plastic biodegradability at sea. We highlight some examples of metabolic pathways of polymer biodegradation. We conclude with several questions regarding gaps in current knowledge of plastic biodegradation by marine microorganisms and the identification of possible directions for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justine Jacquin
- UMR 7621, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Jingguang Cheng
- UMR 7621, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Charlène Odobel
- UMR 7621, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Caroline Pandin
- UMR 7621, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Pascal Conan
- UMR 7621, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Mireille Pujo-Pay
- UMR 7621, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Valérie Barbe
- UMR 7621, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut de Biologie François Jacob, Commissariat á I’Énergie Atomique (CEA), CNRS, Université Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Évry, France
| | - Anne-Leila Meistertzheim
- UMR 7621, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
- Plastic@Sea, Observatoire Océanographique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Jean-François Ghiglione
- UMR 7621, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Microbienne, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Montazer Z, Habibi Najafi MB, Levin DB. Microbial degradation of low-density polyethylene and synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoate polymers. Can J Microbiol 2019; 65:224-234. [DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2018-0335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We have characterized the ability of eight bacterial strains to utilize powdered low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic (untreated and without any additives) as a sole carbon source. Cell mass production on LDPE-containing medium after 21 days of incubation varied between 0.083 ± 0.015 g/L cell dry mass (cdm) for Micrococcus luteus IRN20 and 0.39 ± 0.036 g/L for Cupriavidus necator H16. The percent decrease in LDPE mass ranged from 18.9% ± 0.72% for M. luteus IRN20 to 33.7% ± 1.2% for C. necator H16. Linear alkane hydrolysis products from LDPE degradation were detected in the culture media, and the carbon chain lengths of the hydrolysis products detected varied, depending on the species of bacteria. We also determined that C. necator H16 produced short-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate biopolymers, while Pseudomonas putida LS46 and Acinetobacter pittii IRN19 produced medium-chain-length biopolymers while growing on polyethylene powder. Cupriavidus necator H16 accumulated poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHB-V) polymers to 3.18% ± 0.4% of cdm. The monomer composition of the PHB-V was 94.9% ± 0.61% 3-hydroxybutyrate and 5.03% ± 0.56% 3-hydroxyvalerate. This is the first report that provides direct evidence for simultaneous bioconversion of LDPE plastic to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate polymers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Montazer
- Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5V6, Canada
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | | | - David B. Levin
- Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5V6, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Dussud C, Hudec C, George M, Fabre P, Higgs P, Bruzaud S, Delort AM, Eyheraguibel B, Meistertzheim AL, Jacquin J, Cheng J, Callac N, Odobel C, Rabouille S, Ghiglione JF. Colonization of Non-biodegradable and Biodegradable Plastics by Marine Microorganisms. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1571. [PMID: 30072962 PMCID: PMC6058052 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Plastics are ubiquitous in the oceans and constitute suitable matrices for bacterial attachment and growth. Understanding biofouling mechanisms is a key issue to assessing the ecological impacts and fate of plastics in marine environment. In this study, we investigated the different steps of plastic colonization of polyolefin-based plastics, on the first one hand, including conventional low-density polyethylene (PE), additivated PE with pro-oxidant (OXO), and artificially aged OXO (AA-OXO); and of a polyester, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), on the other hand. We combined measurements of physical surface properties of polymers (hydrophobicity and roughness) with microbiological characterization of the biofilm (cell counts, taxonomic composition, and heterotrophic activity) using a wide range of techniques, with some of them used for the first time on plastics. Our experimental setup using aquariums with natural circulating seawater during 6 weeks allowed us to characterize the successive phases of primo-colonization, growing, and maturation of the biofilms. We highlighted different trends between polymer types with distinct surface properties and composition, the biodegradable AA-OXO and PHBV presenting higher colonization by active and specific bacteria compared to non-biodegradable polymers (PE and OXO). Succession of bacterial population occurred during the three colonization phases, with hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria being highly abundant on all plastic types. This study brings original data that provide new insights on the colonization of non-biodegradable and biodegradable polymers by marine microorganisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claire Dussud
- CNRS, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Cindy Hudec
- CNRS, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Matthieu George
- CNRS/UM, UMR5221, Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Montpellier, France
| | - Pascale Fabre
- CNRS/UM, UMR5221, Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Montpellier, France
| | - Perry Higgs
- Symphony Environmental Ltd., Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Stéphane Bruzaud
- Université de Bretagne-Sud, Institut de Recherche Dupuy de Lôme (IRDL), UMR CNRS 6027, Lorient Cedex, France
| | - Anne-Marie Delort
- CNRS, UMR6296, SIGMA Clermont, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand (ICCF), Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Boris Eyheraguibel
- CNRS, UMR6296, SIGMA Clermont, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand (ICCF), Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Anne-Leïla Meistertzheim
- CNRS, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Justine Jacquin
- CNRS, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Jingguang Cheng
- CNRS, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Nolwenn Callac
- CNRS, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Charlène Odobel
- CNRS, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Sophie Rabouille
- CNRS, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR7093, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche (LOV), Sorbonne Universités, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
| | - Jean-François Ghiglione
- CNRS, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR7621, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Sorbonne Université, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Harrison JP, Boardman C, O'Callaghan K, Delort AM, Song J. Biodegradability standards for carrier bags and plastic films in aquatic environments: a critical review. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:171792. [PMID: 29892374 PMCID: PMC5990801 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Plastic litter is encountered in aquatic ecosystems across the globe, including polar environments and the deep sea. To mitigate the adverse societal and ecological impacts of this waste, there has been debate on whether 'biodegradable' materials should be granted exemptions from plastic bag bans and levies. However, great care must be exercised when attempting to define this term, due to the broad and complex range of physical and chemical conditions encountered within natural ecosystems. Here, we review existing international industry standards and regional test methods for evaluating the biodegradability of plastics within aquatic environments (wastewater, unmanaged freshwater and marine habitats). We argue that current standards and test methods are insufficient in their ability to realistically predict the biodegradability of carrier bags in these environments, due to several shortcomings in experimental procedures and a paucity of information in the scientific literature. Moreover, existing biodegradability standards and test methods for aquatic environments do not involve toxicity testing or account for the potentially adverse ecological impacts of carrier bags, plastic additives, polymer degradation products or small (microscopic) plastic particles that can arise via fragmentation. Successfully addressing these knowledge gaps is a key requirement for developing new biodegradability standard(s) for lightweight carrier bags.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jesse P. Harrison
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 9FD, UK
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network ‘Chemistry Meets Microbiology’, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Carl Boardman
- School of Engineering and Innovation, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
| | | | - Anne-Marie Delort
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, CNRS, BP 10448, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Jim Song
- Wolfson Centre for Materials Processing, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Eyheraguibel B, Leremboure M, Traikia M, Sancelme M, Bonhomme S, Fromageot D, Lemaire J, Lacoste J, Delort AM. Environmental scenarii for the degradation of oxo-polymers. CHEMOSPHERE 2018; 198:182-190. [PMID: 29421728 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.01.153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Revised: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The fate of oxo-polymers in nature is strongly dependent on environmental conditions, mainly on the intensity and duration of sunshine, which vary with the season and the climate. In this work, we report the effect of different scenarii on the production and the molecular composition of oligomers released from oxo-biodegradable HDPE films. Under our experimental conditions, the duration of accelerated weathering corresponded to a period of 3 months to 3 years of exposure to outside conditions under temperate climate. In addition, the oligomers were extracted in three different solvents: i) water to mimics the natural environment; ii) acetone and chloroform to identify oligomers trapped in the polymer matrix. The combination of high-resolution mass spectrometry and 1H NMR spectroscopy gives an extensive picture of the relative concentrations and the structural compositions of the extracted oligomers in the different tested conditions. In particular, the masses, the number of oxygen and carbon atoms could be determined for up to 2283 molecules. Globally the concentration and the size of oligomers increased with the duration of extraction, the level of aging of the polymer and the use of non-polar solvents. Surprisingly, the presence of highly oxidized molecules in acetone and chloroform extract, suggested an important swelling of HPDE films in these solvents and a better diffusion of these oligomers in the matrix. In nature, the biodegradability of oligomers could result from processes occurring both at the molecular (oxidation) and the macromolecular (diffusion and release) levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- B Eyheraguibel
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Sigma, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - M Leremboure
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Sigma, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - M Traikia
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Sigma, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - M Sancelme
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Sigma, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - S Bonhomme
- Centre National d'Evaluation de Photoprotection, 25 Avenue Blaise Pascal, 63178, Aubière Cedex, France
| | - D Fromageot
- Centre National d'Evaluation de Photoprotection, 25 Avenue Blaise Pascal, 63178, Aubière Cedex, France
| | - J Lemaire
- Centre National d'Evaluation de Photoprotection, 25 Avenue Blaise Pascal, 63178, Aubière Cedex, France
| | - J Lacoste
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Sigma, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France; Centre National d'Evaluation de Photoprotection, 25 Avenue Blaise Pascal, 63178, Aubière Cedex, France
| | - A M Delort
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Sigma, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| |
Collapse
|