Sustainable solution for microplastic removal: Sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortia
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used plastic polymer, and its microplastics pose significant threats to ecosystems. One promising approach to addressing this issue is biodegradation using microbial consortia. This study implemented a two-stage biodegradation strategy using microbial con...
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325010838 |
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| author | Minoo Giyahchi Hamid Moghimi |
| author_facet | Minoo Giyahchi Hamid Moghimi |
| author_sort | Minoo Giyahchi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used plastic polymer, and its microplastics pose significant threats to ecosystems. One promising approach to addressing this issue is biodegradation using microbial consortia. This study implemented a two-stage biodegradation strategy using microbial consortia to degrade PET microplastics and detoxify their by-products. In the first stage, a bacterial/fungal consortium dominated by Ralstonia, Bradyrhizobium, Exophiala, and Vanrija achieved a 28 ± 2 % degradation efficiency over 60 days, converting PET into medium-chain alkanes (as confirmed by GC-MS analysis), with a maximum CO2 evolution rate of 722 ppm. Physical and chemical analyses, including Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, revealed structural destruction, mesopore formation, and ester bond breakage of the microplastics. Toxicity assessment of by-products showed a 40 % reduction in human endothelial cell viability, necessitating further detoxification. The second stage utilized a bacterial consortium dominated by Ochrobacterium and Achromobacter, which effectively reduced toxic by-products to 20 %. This study emphasizes the dual focus on efficient PET degradation and the safe decomposition of harmful by-products, showcasing the potential of sequential biodegradation strategies as sustainable solutions for microplastic pollution. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5cfa83f9ae314dd0907ec79554d1d3d8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0147-6513 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| spelling | doaj-art-5cfa83f9ae314dd0907ec79554d1d3d82025-08-20T04:02:32ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132025-09-0130211873810.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.118738Sustainable solution for microplastic removal: Sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortiaMinoo Giyahchi0Hamid Moghimi1Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranCorresponding author.; Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranPolyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used plastic polymer, and its microplastics pose significant threats to ecosystems. One promising approach to addressing this issue is biodegradation using microbial consortia. This study implemented a two-stage biodegradation strategy using microbial consortia to degrade PET microplastics and detoxify their by-products. In the first stage, a bacterial/fungal consortium dominated by Ralstonia, Bradyrhizobium, Exophiala, and Vanrija achieved a 28 ± 2 % degradation efficiency over 60 days, converting PET into medium-chain alkanes (as confirmed by GC-MS analysis), with a maximum CO2 evolution rate of 722 ppm. Physical and chemical analyses, including Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, revealed structural destruction, mesopore formation, and ester bond breakage of the microplastics. Toxicity assessment of by-products showed a 40 % reduction in human endothelial cell viability, necessitating further detoxification. The second stage utilized a bacterial consortium dominated by Ochrobacterium and Achromobacter, which effectively reduced toxic by-products to 20 %. This study emphasizes the dual focus on efficient PET degradation and the safe decomposition of harmful by-products, showcasing the potential of sequential biodegradation strategies as sustainable solutions for microplastic pollution.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325010838BioremediationCell viabilityMicrobial consortiumMicroplasticsToxicity |
| spellingShingle | Minoo Giyahchi Hamid Moghimi Sustainable solution for microplastic removal: Sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortia Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Bioremediation Cell viability Microbial consortium Microplastics Toxicity |
| title | Sustainable solution for microplastic removal: Sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortia |
| title_full | Sustainable solution for microplastic removal: Sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortia |
| title_fullStr | Sustainable solution for microplastic removal: Sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustainable solution for microplastic removal: Sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortia |
| title_short | Sustainable solution for microplastic removal: Sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortia |
| title_sort | sustainable solution for microplastic removal sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortia |
| topic | Bioremediation Cell viability Microbial consortium Microplastics Toxicity |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325010838 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT minoogiyahchi sustainablesolutionformicroplasticremovalsequentialbiodegradationanddetoxificationofpolyethyleneterephthalatemicroplasticsbytwonaturalmicrobialconsortia AT hamidmoghimi sustainablesolutionformicroplasticremovalsequentialbiodegradationanddetoxificationofpolyethyleneterephthalatemicroplasticsbytwonaturalmicrobialconsortia |