Degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics by wastewater bacteria engineered via conjugation.

ABSTRACT: Wastewater treatment plants are one of the major pathways for microplastics to enter the environment. In general, microplastics are contaminants of global concern that pose risks to ecosystems and human health. Here, we present a proof-of-concept for reduction of microplastic pollution emitted from wastewater treatment plants: delivery of recombinant DNA to bacteria in wastewater to enable degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Using a broad-host-range conjugative plasmid, we enabled various bacterial species from a municipal wastewater sample to express FAST-PETase, which was released into the extracellular environment. We found that FAST-PETase purified from some transconjugant isolates could degrade about 40% of a 0.25 mm thick commercial PET film within 4 days at 50°C. We the

SUBMITTER: Yip A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11420662 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature