Plastic is an important part of today’s human daily lifestyle, and it is classified as a “global pollutant” due to its durability. The natural degradation of plastic is extremely slow and will take a hundred years or more. The ultimate destinations of plastics as well as their effects on the ecosystem vary with the type of plastic and the rate of their degradation. In this study, an attempt was made to explain the degradation of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic beads with the help of selected bacterial isolates in both laboratory and field conditions. 16 S rRNA gene sequencing further identified the bacterial isolates as Micrococcus luteus and Bacillus pumilus, obtained from the municipal waste disposal site near Anand, Gujarat, India. The beads were subjected to photolysis and hydrolysis for a predetermined amount of time in addition to biodegradation. After 60 days of treatment with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Micrococcus luteus, and Bacillus pumilus in both laboratory and field conditions, a significant percentage decrease in the weight of LDPE beads was observed. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was taken as a positive control. Further, the rate of degradation was found to be accelerated in the presence of 10% starch.

Graphical Abstract

中文翻译：

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通过连续光解、水解和细菌分离来降解含有低密度聚乙烯 (LDPE) 的塑料珠

塑料是当今人类日常生活的重要组成部分，由于其耐用性而被归类为“全球污染物”。塑料的自然降解极其缓慢，需要一百年或更长时间。塑料的最终目的地及其对生态系统的影响因塑料类型及其降解速度而异。在这项研究中，试图借助实验室和现场条件下选定的细菌分离株来解释低密度聚乙烯 (LDPE) 塑料珠的降解。16S rRNA基因测序进一步鉴定出分离的细菌为藤黄微球菌和短小芽孢杆菌，取自印度古吉拉特邦阿南德附近的城市垃圾处理场。除了生物降解之外，珠子还经历预定时间的光解和水解。在实验室和现场条件下用铜绿假单胞菌、藤黄微球菌和短小芽孢杆菌处理 60 天后，观察到 LDPE 珠的重量百分比显着下降。以铜绿假单胞菌作为阳性对照。此外，发现在 10% 淀粉存在下降解速率加快。

图形概要