聚乙烯塑料生物降解研究进展

聚乙烯(polyethylene,PE)塑料是全球通用合成树脂中产量最丰富的品种，也是最难降解的塑料之一，其在环境中大量积累已造成严重的生态污染。传统的垃圾填埋、堆肥和焚烧处理技术难以满足生态环境的保护要求，生物降解是解决塑料污染问题的一种生态友好、成本低廉、前景可期的方法。本文对PE塑料的化学结构、降解微生物的种类、降解酶和代谢途径等方面进行了综述，结合国内外PE塑料生物降解的前沿和热点问题，建议重点开展高效降解菌株筛选、人工合成菌群构建、降解酶的挖掘与改造等方面的研究，为PE塑料生物降解研究提供路径选择和理论借鉴。     

聚氨酯塑料的微生物降解

未被合理处置的废塑料污染已成为全球性的环境问题,探索塑料废弃物的无害化处理技术势在必行。近来,研究证实了自然界中存在可以降解塑料的微生物及酶。利用微生物或酶对废塑料进行生物处理成为可能。聚氨酯塑料(Polyurethane,PUR)是广泛应用的通用塑料之一,其废弃物量已占到所有废塑料总体积的30%。文中将PUR塑料发明应用70年来有关微生物降解的研究进行了全面综述,对PUR塑料降解真菌、细菌、降解基因与酶、降解产物及相关的生物处理技术系统等进行了总结与分析,并对实现PUR废塑料高效生物处理需解决的关键科学问题进行了展望。     

生物可降解塑料在不同环境条件下的降解研究进展北大核心CSCD

当前社会塑料制品的使用需求持续增加,塑料垃圾处理压力不断增大,减缓塑料污染成为当务之急,生物可降解塑料因可在一定生物活性环境下较快降解而备受关注,具有广阔的应用前景。生物可降解塑料降解条件复杂,影响因素众多,对不同生物可降解塑料降解规律,降解微生物和功能酶的透彻掌握,是实现其全面利用和高效资源化处理处置的基础和前提。文章系统梳理了常见生物可降解塑料的种类、性能、优缺点和主要用途,全面综述了生物可降解塑料的降解机理、降解微生物和功能酶,以及生物可降解塑料在不同环境条件下的降解周期和程度,以期为生物可降解塑料的微生物降解研究提供借鉴,为生物可降解塑料废弃物的高效处理处置和彻底降解提供科学参考。     

大蜡螟和黄粉虫肠道菌中聚乙烯地膜降解细菌的筛选及其降解性能

【背景】在我国农业生产中大量使用的聚乙烯(polyethylene,PE)地膜难以降解,在土壤中长期累积影响农作物生长并破坏生态环境,发掘微生物资源,寻求聚乙烯生物降解途径对治理“白色污染”具有重要意义。【目的】以不同来源的啮食塑料昆虫大蜡螟、黄粉虫为材料,从肠道菌群中分离筛选出对PE具有降解能力的细菌菌株,研究其降解农用地膜的效能。【方法】饲喂PE膜片驯化大蜡螟、黄粉虫幼虫,采集肠道液富集培养、共代谢驯化、选择培养基筛选等方法从肠道细菌中分离出以PE为唯一碳源的细菌菌株。将菌株接种到以PE膜片为唯一碳源的培养基中共培养,通过测定菌体生长量,定期检测膜片失重率,结合高分辨场发射扫描电子显微镜观察、红外扫描分析和膜片力学性能测定,评价菌株对聚乙烯地膜的降解效果。对筛选出的降解性能良好的菌株通过16S rRNA基因扩增和序列分析进行菌株鉴定。【结果】从新疆蜜蜂蜂巢中的土著大蜡螟肠道分离获得的聚乙烯降解菌菌株最多,其聚乙烯的降解效率高于其他来源的分离菌株。从中筛选出具有较高降解能力的3个菌株XJDLM-3、XJDLM-8和XJDLM-12,它们能利用PE膜片生长,扫描电镜观察经过30 d降解的PE膜片表面出现明显的侵蚀孔洞和裂痕,红外扫描图谱发生改变,拉伸强度、断裂伸长率和弹性模量等力学性能显著下降,膜片失重率分别达到了8.06%、5.66%和5.39%。从新疆蜜蜂蜂巢中的土著大蜡螟肠道分离出降解效果较好的细菌菌株,经鉴定XJDLM-8和XJDLM-12为Bacillus cereus,XJDLM-3为Enterobacter bugandensis。【结论】证明了新疆蜜蜂蜂巢中的土著大蜡螟肠道存在对PE具有较高降解能力的菌株,丰富了PE降解菌的菌种资源,在PE地膜降解中具有开发应用的潜力。     

石油基塑料的微生物降解

石油基塑料种类繁多、数量巨大、应用广泛,常见的有聚乙烯(PE)、聚丙烯(PP)、聚苯乙烯(PS)、聚氯乙烯(PVC)、聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(PET)、聚氨酯(PUR)等。这些合成塑料因其高分子量、高疏水性及高化学键能的特点难以被微生物降解,从而在环境中长期存在和累积,"白色污染"已经成为一个全球性问题。因此安全经济的微生物降解合成塑料是人类面临的一个选择和难题。文中从微生物资源及相关酶学研究方面综述了聚苯乙烯、聚乙烯、聚丙烯、聚氨酯、聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯和聚氯乙烯这6种石油基塑料的生物降解的研究现状。目前关于上述6种石油基塑料的微生物降解研究依然大多停留在微生物资源的寻找中,已发现的具备相关能力的菌株种类较少,并且微生物降解效率均非常缓慢;对于其降解机理及关键基因和酶的研究比较少。文中为进一步开展塑料生物降解研究,寻找高效的塑料降解菌株资源以及进一步在遗传、分子和生化水平研究塑料生物降解机理研究,从而最终实现合成塑料的彻底降解和高值化利用提供了借鉴。     

大麦虫及其肠道微生物对聚乙烯的生物降解

【背景】废旧塑料聚乙烯因具有较高的化学惰性,不易被自然降解而形成长期污染。【目的】探究聚乙烯泡沫塑料对大麦虫生长发育的影响,为大麦虫作为降解聚乙烯泡沫塑料的昆虫推广提供理论依据。【方法】以大麦虫幼虫为研究对象,选用常见的泡沫塑料(聚乙烯),采用4种不同的饲喂方式T1 (麦麸)、T2 (泡沫塑料)、T3 (泡沫塑料+麦麸)、T4 (不饲喂)进行驯化,处理30 d后对大麦虫进行解剖,取肠道内容物于LB培养基中进行富集培养,将富集培养后的菌液加入以聚乙烯(polyethylene,PE)为唯一碳源的LCFBM培养基进行选择性培养,从中筛选分离得到对PE塑料有降解能力的菌株。【结果】取食泡沫塑料30d后,与单一饲喂PE相比,麦麸和PE混合饲喂后大麦虫幼虫的存活率为76%。采用傅里叶变换红外光谱检测发现虫粪组分中主要官能团中峰值明显变化,表明PE长链有断裂现象,并从肠道中分离得到3株可以对PE薄膜边缘造成明显侵蚀的菌株。【结论】大麦虫可取食并消化PE塑料,其肠道内的微生物对PE塑料的降解起到关键作用,研究结果为塑料污染的生物降解提供了科学证据。     

土壤中聚乙烯降解菌的筛选、鉴定及降解特性

[目的] 农用地膜主要成分为聚乙烯（polyethylene,PE）,因其难以被降解,其废弃物常造成“白色污染”,本研究从常年覆盖农用地膜的土壤中筛选PE降解菌,并探究其对PE制品的降解效能。[方法] 采集的土壤样品用PE为唯一碳源的无机盐培养基进行富集,筛选、纯化PE降解菌,分离菌通过形态染色、生理生化特征、16S rRNA基因序列分析进行鉴定,检测其在不同PE浓度（0%、0.05%、0.10%、0.25%、0.50%、1.00%、2.00%、3.00%）的无机盐培养基中的生长曲线,最后通过扫描电镜、光镜观察,检测分离菌对农用地膜的降解效能。[结果] 从土壤中筛选获得一株能够降解PE的分离菌株（命名为SW1）,初步鉴定其为放线菌的诺卡氏菌属Nocardia sp.。SW1的生长对PE具有明显浓度依赖,在含2% PE的无机盐培养基中生长最快,在培养的第48 h菌液浓度开始明显增加,第60 h达到最大,而在不含PE的无机盐培养基中未见生长。形态生理学观察表明,35℃培养15 d后,扫描电镜观察可见有大量菌嵌入膜内或附于膜表面生长,膜表面粗糙,并开始出现破损;培养60 d后,光镜观察可见膜大面积破损,并出现空洞。[结论] 从土壤中筛选获得了一株能够有效降解PE制品的放线菌菌株Nocardia sp. SW1。该研究丰富了PE制品降解微生物的菌种资源,为PE塑料废弃物的生物降解提供了科学数据与参考。     

生物降解聚烯烃类塑料研究进展

聚烯烃类塑料是一类以C–C键为骨架的高分子材料,被广泛应用于日常生活的各个领域。由于具有稳定的化学性质并且难以被环境中的微生物快速降解,聚烯烃塑料废弃物在全球范围内持续积累,造成了严重的环境污染及生态危机。近年来,利用生物方法降解聚烯烃类塑料引起了研究人员的广泛关注。自然界丰富的微生物资源为生物降解聚烯烃类塑料废弃物提供了可能,已经有一些对聚烯烃塑料具有降解能力的微生物被陆续报道。本文总结了聚烯烃类塑料生物降解资源及生物降解机制的研究进展,提出了目前聚烯烃类塑料生物降解过程存在的问题,并对未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

烟草废弃物中的难降解有机物的微生物降解研究进展

烟草废弃物的资源化利用及无害处理过程,需要利用微生物高效降解其中的难降解物质,如木质素与尼古丁。本文主要综述烟草废弃物中难降解物质的生物降解研究进展。迄今,已经发现了不少木质素和尼古丁的微生物降解菌株,对其降解机理及应用已有不少研究报道,但其在烟草废弃物处理中的应用方面报道较少。木质素和尼古丁降解菌可以用于废次烟叶（烟梗）木质素的消减和尼古丁去除,但同时也需要考察菌株的降解能力和应用环境的适用性。具备降解木质素和尼古丁双重功能的菌株更有应用前景,但迄今发现较少。基于全基因组分析和微生物组学技术的复合菌群的研究也是重要的研究方向,将推动含木质素和尼古丁等多种难降解物质的废次烟叶的处置技术发展和实际应用。     

微生物降解塑料的研究进展

塑料广泛应用于人类的生活中,其中约80%的塑料垃圾被填埋,最终成为陆地和海洋垃圾。由于管理与处置不善,这些废弃物造成了巨大的环境污染,目前回收再利用是较好的处置方式,但对某些塑料废弃物并没有妥善的处置方式。生物降解作为环境友好的处置方式,具有巨大的应用潜力。本文对聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯、聚乙烯、聚氯乙烯、聚丙烯、聚苯乙烯和聚氨酯这6种常用塑料的降解微生物及生物降解机制进行了总结,对目前微生物降解塑料存在的问题进行了分析,并提出了促进微生物降解塑料应用的途径,为生物降解塑料菌株和降解酶的开发应用、降解机制研究提供理论参考。     

New perspectives in plastic biodegradation

During the past 50 years new plastic materials, in various applications, have gradually replaced the traditional metal, wood, leather materials. Ironically, the most preferred property of plastics--durability--exerts also the major environmental threat. Recycling has practically failed to provide a safe solution for disposal of plastic waste (only 5% out of 1 trillion plastic bags, annually produced in the US alone, are being recycled). Since the most utilized plastic is polyethylene (PE; ca. 140 million tons/year), any reduction in the accumulation of PE waste alone would have a major impact on the overall reduction of the plastic waste in the environment. Since PE is considered to be practically inert, efforts were made to isolate unique microorganisms capable of utilizing synthetic polymers. Recent data showed that biodegradation of plastic waste with selected microbial strains became a viable solution.     

Microbial degradation and deterioration of polyethylene – A review

The ability of microorganisms to use polyethylene as a carbon source has only been recently established. This result has significance both from an environmental point of view, due to the accumulation of millions of tons of waste plastics every year, but also regarding the conservation of integrity for infrastructures incorporating this plastic. A number of microorganisms with the ability to grow on polyethylene have been isolated. The effects of these microorganisms on the physiochemical properties of this polymer have been described; these include changes in crystallinity, molecular weight, topography of samples and the functional groups found on the surface. Although the bio-degradation and bio-deterioration of polyethylene has been demonstrated by several researchers, the enzymes involved and mechanisms associated with these phenomena are still unclear. Nevertheless, it is recognized that both enzymatic and abiotic factors (such UV light) can mediate the initial oxidation of polyethylene chains, and given the chemical similarity between polyethylene and olefins it has been suggested that the metabolic pathways for degradation of hydrocarbons can be used once the size of polyethylene molecules decrease to an acceptable range for enzyme action (typically from 10 to 50 carbons). The long-range structure and morphology of polyethylene have shown important roles, with amorphous regions being more prone to microbial attack than crystalline ones. This review focuses on the recent hypotheses and experimental findings regarding the biodegradation of polyethylene.     

Fungal bioremediation of polyethylene: Challenges and perspectives

Plastics have become ubiquitous in both their adoption as materials and as environmental contaminants. Widespread pollution of these versatile, man-made and largely petroleum-derived polymers has resulted from their long-term mass production, inappropriate disposal and inadequate end of life management. Polyethylene (PE) is at the forefront of this problem, accounting for one-third of plastic demand in Europe in part due to its extensive use in packaging. Current recycling and incineration processes do not represent sustainable solutions to tackle plastic waste, especially once it becomes littered, and the development of new waste-management and remediation technologies are needed. Mycoremediation (fungal-based biodegradation) of PE has been the topic of several studies over the last two decades. The utility of these studies is limited by an inconclusive definition of biodegradation and a lack of knowledge regarding the biological systems responsible. This review highlights relevant features of fungi as potential bioremediation agents, before discussing the evidence for fungal biodegradation of both high- and low-density PE. An up-to-date perspective on mycoremediation as a future solution to PE waste is provided.     

A review of plastic waste biodegradation

With more and more plastics being employed in human lives and increasing pressure being placed on capacities available for plastic waste disposal, the need for biodegradable plastics and biodegradation of plastic wastes has assumed increasing importance in the last few years. This review looks at the technological advancement made in the development of more easily biodegradable plastics and the biodegradation of conventional plastics by microorganisms. Additives, such as pro-oxidants and starch, are applied in synthetic materials to modify and make plastics biodegradable. Recent research has shown that thermoplastics derived from polyolefins, traditionally considered resistant to biodegradation in ambient environment, are biodegraded following photo-degradation and chemical degradation. Thermoset plastics, such as aliphatic polyester and polyester polyurethane, are easily attacked by microorganisms directly because of the potential hydrolytic cleavage of ester or urethane bonds in their structures. Some microorganisms have been isolated to utilize polyurethane as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen source. Aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters have active commercial applications because of their good mechanical properties and biodegradability. Reviewing published and ongoing studies on plastic biodegradation, this paper attempts to make conclusions on potentially viable methods to reduce impacts of plastic waste on the environment.     

Degradation of Oxo-Biodegradable Plastic by Pleurotus ostreatus

Growing concerns regarding the impact of the accumulation of plastic waste over several decades on the environmental have led to the development of biodegradable plastic. These plastics can be degraded by microorganisms and absorbed by the environment and are therefore gaining public support as a possible alternative to petroleum-derived plastics. Among the developed biodegradable plastics, oxo-biodegradable polymers have been used to produce plastic bags. Exposure of this waste plastic to ultraviolet light (UV) or heat can lead to breakage of the polymer chains in the plastic, and the resulting compounds are easily degraded by microorganisms. However, few studies have characterized the microbial degradation of oxo-biodegradable plastics. In this study, we tested the capability of Pleurotus ostreatus to degrade oxo-biodegradable (D₂W) plastic without prior physical treatment, such as exposure to UV or thermal heating. After 45 d of incubation in substrate-containing plastic bags, the oxo-biodegradable plastic, which is commonly used in supermarkets, developed cracks and small holes in the plastic surface as a result of the formation of hydroxyl groups and carbon-oxygen bonds. These alterations may be due to laccase activity. Furthermore, we observed the degradation of the dye found in these bags as well as mushroom formation. Thus, P. ostreatus degrades oxo-biodegradable plastics and produces mushrooms using this plastic as substrate.     

A Review of Plastic Waste Biodegradation

ABSTRACT

With more and more plastics being employed in human lives and increasing pressure being placed on capacities available for plastic waste disposal, the need for biodegradable plastics and biodegradation of plastic wastes has assumed increasing importance in the last few years. This review looks at the technological advancement made in the development of more easily biodegradable plastics and the biodegradation of conventional plastics by microorganisms. Additives, such as pro-oxidants and starch, are applied in synthetic materials to modify and make plastics biodegradable. Recent research has shown that thermoplastics derived from polyolefins, traditionally considered resistant to biodegradation in ambient environment, are biodegraded following photo-degradation and chemical degradation. Thermoset plastics, such as aliphatic polyester and polyester polyurethane, are easily attacked by microorganisms directly because of the potential hydrolytic cleavage of ester or urethane bonds in their structures. Some microorganisms have been isolated to utilize polyurethane as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen source. Aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters have active commercial applications because of their good mechanical properties and biodegradability. Reviewing published and ongoing studies on plastic biodegradation, this paper attempts to make conclusions on potentially viable methods to reduce impacts of plastic waste on the environment.     

CO2 reduction potentials by utilizing waste plastics in steel works

Background, aim, and scope  Feedstock recycling has received attention as an effective method to recycle waste plastics. However, estimating the reduction potential by life cycle assessment using coke oven and blast furnace in steel works has been a challenging task due to the complex structure of energy flow in steel works. Municipal waste plastics consist of several plastic resins. Previous studies have generally disregarded the composition of waste plastics, which varies significantly depending on the geographical area. If the reduction potentials by using each plastic resin in steel works can be quantified, the potential of municipal waste plastics (mixtures of plastic resins) can be estimated by summing up the potential of each resin multiplied by the composition of each resin in municipal waste plastics. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate the reduction potentials of CO₂ emissions by using individual plastic resins (polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) and those for municipal waste plastics in the coke oven and blast furnace. Materials and methods  A model was developed to clarify the energy flow in steel works. In order to estimate the changes in energy and material balance in coke ovens when waste plastics are charged, the equations to calculate the coke product yield, gas product yield, and oil product yields of each plastic resin were derived from previous studies. The Rist model was adopted to quantify the changes in the inputs and outputs when plastics were fed into a blast furnace. Then, a matrix calculation method was used to calculate the change in energy balance before and after plastics are fed into a coke oven. Results  It was confirmed that product yields of municipal waste plastics (mixtures of plastic resins) could be estimated by summing up the product yield of each plastic resin multiplied by the composition of each resin in municipal waste plastics. In both cases of coke oven and blast furnace feedstock recycling, the reduction potential of CO₂ emissions varies significantly depending on the plastic resins. For example, in the case of coke oven chemical feedstock recycling, the reduction potential of PS and PP is larger than that of PE. On the other hand, in the case of blast furnace feedstock recycling, PE has the largest CO₂ emissions reduction potential, whereas the CO₂ emission reduction potential of PP is smaller than those of PE and PS. In both cases, PET has negative CO₂ emission reduction potentials, i.e., there is an increase of CO₂ emissions. In addition, the reduction potentials of CO₂ emissions are slightly different in each city. Discussions  The differences in the reduction potentials of CO₂ emissions by coke oven chemical feedstock recycling of each plastic resin is attributable to the differences in calorific values and coke product yields of each plastic resin. On the other hand, the difference in the CO₂ emission reduction potential for each plastic resin in blast furnace feedstock recycling is attributable to the difference in calorific values and the carbon and hydrogen content of each plastic resin, which leads to a difference in the coke substitution effect by each plastic resin. In both cases, the difference in those of municipal waste plastics is mostly attributable to the amount of impurities (e.g., ash, water) in the municipal waste plastics. Conclusions  It was found that the reduction potential of CO₂ emissions by coke oven and blast furnace feedstock recycling of municipal waste plastics (mixtures of plastic resins) could be estimated by summing up the potential of each resin multiplied by the composition of each resin in municipal waste plastics. It was also clarified that feedstock recycling of waste plastic in steel works is effective for avoiding the increase in CO₂ emissions by incinerating waste plastics, such as those from household mixtures of different resins. Recommendations and perspectives  With the results obtained in this study, reduction potentials of CO₂ emissions can be calculated for any waste plastics because differences in composition are taken into account.     

Biodegradation of plastics

Widespread studies on the biodegradation of plastics have been carried out in order to overcome the environmental problems associated with synthetic plastic waste. Recent work has included studies of the distribution of synthetic polymer-degrading microorganisms in the environment, the isolation of new microorganisms for biodegradation, the discovery of new degradation enzymes, and the cloning of genes for synthetic polymer-degrading enzymes.