Deconstructed Plastic Substrate Preferences of Microbial Populations from the Natural Environment.

ABSTRACT: Over half of the world's plastic waste is landfilled, where it is estimated to take hundreds of years to degrade. Given the continued use and disposal of plastic products, it is vital that we develop fast and effective ways to utilize plastic waste. Here, we explore the potential of tandem chemical and biological processing to process various plastics quickly and effectively. Four samples of compost or sediment were used to set up enrichment cultures grown on mixtures of compounds, including disodium terephthalate and terephthalic acid (monomers of polyethylene terephthalate), compounds derived from the chemical deconstruction of polycarbonate, and pyrolysis oil derived from high-density polyethylene plastics. Established enrichment communities were also grown on individual substrates to i

SUBMITTER: Putman LI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10433879 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature