Soil bacteria found that can start digesting rubber gloves
Syrovatskaya GA, Maksimov AY, Korotchenkova OV, Maksimova YG
Phytoremediation
The compost pile or soil in your yard could one day host microbes doing real work on the plastic waste that outlives us all, and this study shows exactly which bacteria and conditions make that possible.
Researchers found two types of bacteria, cousins of soil microbes called Rhodococcus, that can actually eat away at nitrile rubber, the stretchy material in blue medical gloves. The bacteria settle onto the rubber's surface, form a living film, and their enzymes start breaking apart the chemical bonds that make the rubber so durable. It's early-stage work, but it points toward using bacteria to help clean up the mountains of glove waste left over from the pandemic.
Key Findings
Rhodococcus qingshengii IEGM 1416 and R. erythropolis IEGM 1417 grew on nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) as their sole nitrogen source, forming biofilms confirmed by electron microscopy and cell counts.
After UV and freeze-thaw pretreatment of the rubber, biofilm density reached (7.28 ± 0.48) × 10^6 CFU/cm2 for one strain and (6.27 ± 0.72) × 10^6 CFU/cm2 for the other.
Infrared spectroscopy showed new amide groups forming in the rubber after one month of bacterial growth, evidence that bacterial nitrile hydratase enzymes were chemically transforming the material.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found two strains of soil bacteria that can grow on and start breaking down nitrile rubber, the material used in disposable medical gloves that piled up as pandemic waste. The bacteria form biofilms on the rubber and use enzymes to chemically alter its nitrile groups, marking the first documented steps toward biodegrading this stubborn plastic.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Haloalkalitolerant Nitrile-Utilizing Rhodococcus Strains Promote the Biodegradation of Nitrile-Butadiene Rubber.
Environmental pollution from polymers is reaching alarming levels. Nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR), widely used in medical glove manufacturing, contributes significantly to plastic and microplastic ...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Ancient Amazonian forests were planted and tended by Indigenous farmers
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...
Soil health is the capacity of soil to function as a living ecosystem, supporting complex interactions between microorganisms, soil fauna, and plant communities. For plant science, soil health is critical because these biological and chemical soil properties directly control nutrient availability,
arrow_forward Explore topic