Biodegradation of low-density polyethylene by Paenarthrobacter nicotinovorans JPEA-9 and its putative degradation mechanism.
Wang Y, Zhang L, Xu M, Xu W, Zhang B
Soil Health
Plastic fragments building up in garden and agricultural soils disrupt root systems and leach chemicals into food crops, and bacteria like this one represent a future biological tool for cleaning contaminated growing environments without added chemicals.
Researchers found bacteria living in landfill plastic waste that can actually break down common plastic wrap and bags. The bacteria roughen the plastic's surface, add oxygen to its chemical structure, and slowly consume it — working faster than any known relative. While it's early-stage science, it points toward a natural, biological way to clean up plastic pollution in soils where plants grow.
Key Findings
The bacterium degraded LDPE powder by 14.4 ± 0.1% in just 20 days — the highest rate reported for the Paenarthrobacter genus
LDPE film lost 7.0 ± 0.8% of its weight over 120 days, with confirmed surface roughening and reduced water repellency
Degradation mechanism involves oxidation: infrared spectroscopy showed increased oxygen-containing functional groups forming on the plastic surface
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists isolated a landfill bacterium, Paenarthrobacter nicotinovorans JPEA-9, that breaks down low-density polyethylene — the plastic used in bags and film — at the highest rate ever recorded for its genus, degrading 14.4% of plastic powder in 20 days and confirming the mechanism involves surface oxidation.
Abstract Preview
Polyethylene is one of the most extensively used plastics worldwide. It is highly resistant to biodegradation, and its accumulation in the environment has become a major global concern. The aim of ...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Was this useful?
Ancient DNA Reveals Pre-Columbian Amazonian Forest Management at Scale
Forests and fruits we romanticize as wild — including many plants now in our kitchens and gardens — may exist in their current abundance precisely because an...