POLYMER-EATING BACTERIA

I.

INTRODUCTION

One of the most problems on earth is land pollution that are often caused by materials made
from plastic like water bottles, plastic cups, plastic bags, etc. [1]Plastics are polymers, but unlike
polymers found in plants, it is not biodegradable. [2]It takes an average time of 450 years to
decay. So the first solution that has been made for disposing those was recycling. But neverending recycling is not enough to solve the land pollution. [1] Plastics have only been around for
about 70 years. So microorganisms simply have not had much time to evolve the necessary
biochemical tool kit to latch onto the plastic fibers, break them up into the constituent parts and
then utilize the resulting chemicals as a source of energy and carbon that they need to grow.
[3]

As of 2016, a bacterium that degrades and assimilates polymer has been discovered by a

Japanese research team from Kyoto Institute of Technology and Keio University . The said bacteria

eat the type of plastic found in most disposable water bottles. The objective of this research is to
inform people about the newly found bacteria and to minimize land pollution.

II.

RRLit

[4]

In 2014 up to now, plastics have been one of the biggest problems that our world has. [5]

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which is the major component for making plastics has a high
resistance against biodegration. The solution is not recycling but to cultivate bacterias that can
biodegrade the plastics. And as of 2016, scientists from Japan confirmed that there is a
bacterium that can break down plastics.

III.

METHODOLOGY

To perform this experiment, we need a PET bottle (polyethylene terephthalate), , warm jar and
some other nutrients.

Bibliography
[1]

Lorch, M. (2016). Scientists just discovered plastic-eating bacteria that can break down PET.
Retrieved March 12, 2016, from Science Alert: http://www.sciencealert.com/new-plastic
munching-bacteria-could-fuel-a-recycling-revolution
3

[2]

OConnor, K. (2011). How long does it take a plastic bottle to biodegrade. Retrieved
March 12, 2016, from Postconsumers: http://www.postconsumers.com/education/how
long-does-it-take-a-plastic-bottle-to-biodegrade/

[3]

Reader, R. (2016). Scientists discovered a plastic-eating bacteria. Retrieved March 13, 2016,
from Tech.Mic: http://mic.com/articles/137697/scientists-discovered-a-plastic-eatingbacteria#.Qw1i5vVxC

[4]

[5]

Unknown. (n.d). Ideonella Sakaiensis can break down metabolize plastic. Retrieved March
13, 2016, from Sci-News: www.sci-news.com/biology/ideonella-sakaiensis-bacterium-can-breakdown-metabolize-plastic-03693.html

After five years of searching through 250 samples, they isolated a bacteria
that could live on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), a common plastic used
in bottles and clothing. They named the new species of bacteria Ideonella
sakaiensis.
First, previous reports were of tricky-to-cultivate fungi, where in this case the
microbe is easily grown. The researchers more or less left the PET in a warm
jar with the bacterial culture and some other nutrients, and a few weeks later
all the plastic was gone.
Further tests in the lab revealed that it used two enzymes to break down the
PET. After adhering to the PET surface, the bacteria secretes one enzyme onto
the PET to generate an intermediate chemical. That chemical is then taken up
by the cell, where another enzyme breaks it down even further, providing the
bacteria with carbon and energy to grow.

The researchers report that a community of Ideonella sakaiensis working this

way could break down a thin film of PET over the course of six weeks if the
temperature were held at a steady 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
the Japanese research team from Kyoto Institute of Technology and Keio University collected 250
PET-contaminated samples including sediment, soil and wastewater from a plastic bottle recycling
site

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-03-newly-bacteria-plastic-bottles.html#jCp

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is used extensively worldwide in plastic products, and its
accumulation in the environment has become a global concern. Because the ability to
enzymatically degrade PET has been thought to be limited to a few fungal species,
biodegradation is not yet a viable remediation or recycling strategy. By screening natural
microbial communities exposed to PET in the environment, we isolated a novel bacterium

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/351/6278/1196
http://phys.org/news/2016-03-newly-bacteria-plastic-bottles.html
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-bacteria-eat-plastic20160310-story.html
http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-species-of-bacteria-eats-plastic1457636401
http://mic.com/articles/137697/scientists-discovered-a-plastic-eatingbacteria#.Qw1i5vVxC
http://www.sciencealert.com/new-plastic-munching-bacteria-could-fuel-arecycling-revolution
http://www.postconsumers.com/education/how-long-does-it-take-a-plasticbottle-to-biodegrade/