Knowledge review on polyethylene terephthalate-degrading microbes and selection of soil microbes from Muntinlupa, Philippines with potential PET-degrading activity

• Main Authors: Que, Johann Timothy C, Mangubat, Margarita Claire T, Dapapa, Laviña Kate M
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2024
• Subjects: Polyethylene terephthalate; Microorganisms; Soil microbiology—Philippines; Biodegradable plastics; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_bio/77
• Institution: De La Salle University

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a ubiquitous synthetic material that is widely used in the manufacturing process of plastic bottles and packaging materials, leading to its accumulation in the environment and through improper disposal techniques and lack of recycling facilities pose a significant ecological challenge due to its poor biodegradability. This study aimed to review the knowledge on PET-degrading microbes, collect and isolate soil bacteria from Muntinlupa with the capability to degrade PET through the use of two methods (weight change in nutrient broth and zone of degradation/lysis in Bushnell Haas agar) and compare the two methods in PET-degradation assessment. Soil samples were collected from a landfill in Muntinlupa and used to isolate microbes. thirty and ten bacterial isolates had a PET-degrading ability based on the weight change and zone of degradation/lysis methods, respectively. However, only two isolates (14 and 31) gave consistent results in both methods. These isolates are potential PET-degrading microbes that can be used in future research. This study contributed to understanding microbes with PET-degrading capacity through the knowledge review, summarizing and classifying the knowledge on recent advancements made to combat PET pollution as an environmental problem and global threat. While further trials are still needed to validate further and underpin the PET-degrading ability of the candidate bacterial isolates identified in this study, which may be used to mitigate PET plastic pollution and thus, alleviating the adverse effects of plastic pollution. Keywords: PET; nutrient broth; Bushnell Haas agar; microbial degradation