Abstract

BOENEL, Micaela; VOBIS, Gernot  and  SOLANS, Mariana. POLYPROPYLENE DEGRADING ACTINOBACTERIA. Rev. Int. Contam. Ambient [online]. 2021, vol.37, 54004.  Epub June 06, 2022. ISSN 0188-4999.  https://doi.org/10.20937/rica.54004.

The accumulation of synthetic polymers is a great environmental contamination issue, since there are no efficient methods to dispose them safely; however, there is evidence about the degradation of plastics by actinobacteria. In this work we tested the degradation capacity of tree biopolymers and a synthetic polymer by actinobacteria isolated from the soil of a landfill in Bariloche. On the one hand, we studied the degradation of natural polymers (starch, hemicellulose, cellulose) in a solid medium, and on the other hand, we studied the degradation of polypropylene sheets inoculated with the isolates and cultured in liquid medium for six weeks at 37 ºC. We then measured weight loss in the sheets and studied colonization of the polypropylene surface using light and electron microscopy. The data were analyzed with a two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test. Of the 35 total isolates, 88 % corresponded to the Streptomyces genus and 3 % to the rest of genera (Actinomadura, Pseudonocardia, Saccharomonospora and Thermoactinomyces). Of the isolates, 63 % were able to degrade starch, 86 % hemicellulose, 34 % microcrystalline cellulose (exoglucanases), and 88% carboxymethyl cellulose (endoglucanases). Colonization of the polypropylene surface was observed in all treatments. Two of the strains studied, Streptomyces sp. MP32 and Actinomadura sp. MP5 reduced the weight of the polypropylene sheets (p ≤ 0.05). These preliminary results show the ability of actinobacteria to colonize the polypropylene surface, with potential use in soils or environments contaminated by synthetic polymers.

Keywords : Actinomadura; polymer degradation; Streptomyces.

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