Sustainable solution for microplastic removal: Sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortia
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used plastic polymer, and its microplastics pose significant threats to ecosystems. One promising approach to addressing this issue is biodegradation using microbial consortia. This study implemented a two-stage biodegradation strategy using microbial con...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-09-01
|
| Series: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325010838 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used plastic polymer, and its microplastics pose significant threats to ecosystems. One promising approach to addressing this issue is biodegradation using microbial consortia. This study implemented a two-stage biodegradation strategy using microbial consortia to degrade PET microplastics and detoxify their by-products. In the first stage, a bacterial/fungal consortium dominated by Ralstonia, Bradyrhizobium, Exophiala, and Vanrija achieved a 28 ± 2 % degradation efficiency over 60 days, converting PET into medium-chain alkanes (as confirmed by GC-MS analysis), with a maximum CO2 evolution rate of 722 ppm. Physical and chemical analyses, including Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, revealed structural destruction, mesopore formation, and ester bond breakage of the microplastics. Toxicity assessment of by-products showed a 40 % reduction in human endothelial cell viability, necessitating further detoxification. The second stage utilized a bacterial consortium dominated by Ochrobacterium and Achromobacter, which effectively reduced toxic by-products to 20 %. This study emphasizes the dual focus on efficient PET degradation and the safe decomposition of harmful by-products, showcasing the potential of sequential biodegradation strategies as sustainable solutions for microplastic pollution. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0147-6513 |