Microbial biodegradation of polyethylene in estuarine sediments: metabolic pathways of Pseudomonas under denitrifying conditions.
Lin Z, Sun X, Wang Z, Huang D, Kong T
Soil Health
The muddy sediment beneath every salt marsh and estuary near you is quietly accumulating microplastics — and now we know there are bacteria already living there that can slowly digest them when the conditions are right.
Researchers found that tiny plastic particles settle into the muddy bottoms of estuaries, where there's very little oxygen. They discovered that a type of bacteria called Pseudomonas can actually eat these plastics even in low-oxygen conditions, using nitrogen compounds to fuel the process. By studying the chemistry of what the bacteria produce, scientists now understand which internal pathways the bacteria use to break down the plastic.
Key Findings
Adding nitrate to sediment microcosms significantly increased microplastic degradation and enriched Pseudomonas bacteria in the plastic-associated microbial community.
A single isolated strain, Pseudomonas sp. C1, was confirmed to mineralize microplastic polyethylene under denitrifying (oxygen-free) conditions in pure culture.
Metabolomics revealed that the bacterium activates biotin metabolism, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, and β-alanine metabolism pathways as key biochemical routes for breaking down polyethylene.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered that a common soil bacterium called Pseudomonas can break down microplastics even without oxygen, using a process tied to nitrogen cycling. This opens new possibilities for cleaning up plastic-polluted estuaries and coastal wetlands.
Abstract Preview
Estuarine sediments are major sinks for micro-polyethylene (mPE). Given the prevalence of anoxic, denitrifying conditions in these habitats, aerobic mPE biodegradation is likely inhibited. However,...
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