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Biodegradation of Poly (Ethylene Terephthalate) by Bacillus Subtilis

Article · January 2015

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International Journal of Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Research

Vol. 02, Issue 12, pp.1060-1062, December, 2015

RESEARCH ARTICLE
BIODEGRADATION OF POLY (ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE) BY BACILLUS SUBTILIS
1Asmae NAKKABI, 1Noureddine ELMOUALIJ, 2Moulay SADIKI, 2,3Saâd IBNSOUDA KORAICHI and
1Mohammed FAHIM

1Laboratory of Chemistry of Materials and Biotechnology Natural Products, Faculty of Sciences, University
Moulay Ismail, BP 11201, 50000 Meknès, Morocco
2Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, 30000Fez Morocco
3Regional University Center of Interface, University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, 30000Fez Morocco

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

With the rapid development of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and its wide use in industry, there
Article History:
Received 25 , September 2015
th is a substantial fraction by volume added to the waste stream every year, which causes an
Received in revised form environmental issue, since PET is highly resistant to atmospheric and biological agents. Currently, the
26th, October 2015 handling methods of PET and other polymer wastes involve burying, burning, and recycling. But, as
Accepted 29th, November 2015 regards environmental protection, these methods have many shortcomings and cannot address poly
Published online 30th, December 2015 (ethylene terephthalate) PET waste pollution from the source. Although the biodegradation ratio of
PET was still weak, we demonstrated with SEM micrographs and IR analysis that Bacillus
Keywords: subtiliscould act on the PET.
Biodegradation,
PET,
Baccilus Subtulis,
Polymer.

INTRODUCTION
Therefore, PET is a noxious material from a global
environmental and ecological standpoint (Edge et al., 1991;
Polymeric materials have gained a wide influence due to their
Allen et al., 1994; Rudakova et al., 1979).
excellent mechanical and thermal properties and high stability.
They are very unique in chemical composition, physical forms,
mechanical properties and applications. Because of this MATERIALS AND METHODS
structural versatility, polymeric materials are widely used in
aerospace applications, aviation and space industries as paints, Polymer studied: polyester is a polymer (a chain of repeating
adhesives, plastics, composites, rubbers, lubricants, etc units) where the individual units are held together by ester
(Vassiliou et al., 2010). Environmental pollution by Polymeric linkages. The specific polyester used in this work is
materials, such as waste plastics, has been recognized as a polyethylene tetrephtelete (Fig 1).
large problem. In order to support continued sustainable
development throughout the world, this problem must be
addressed. In view of this, the biodegradation of plastics has
been studied extensively for the past three decades. Some types
of plastic have been shown to be biodegradable, and their
degradation mechanisms have progressively become clearer
(Masayuki, 2001). The biodegradation has the potential to
avoid secondary pollution, while lowering the handling cost.
This work has chosen as polymer poly(ethylene Fig. 1. The structure of its monomer (n: is the number
terephthalate).With the rapid development of poly(ethylene of repetitions)
terephthalate) (PET) and its wide use in industry, there is a
substantial fraction by volume added to the waste stream every Organism: Bacillus subtilis was isolated, identified and
year, which causes an environmental issue, since PET is highly obtained from the Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology of
resistant to atmospheric and biological agents. Faculty of Science and Technology, Fez, by its ability to
degrade a many polymers.
*Corresponding author: 1Asmae NAKKABI,
Laboratory of Chemistry of Materials and Biotechnology natural products, Degradation of Polyurethanes test, media and culture
University of Sciences Moulay Ismail, BP 11201, 50000Meknès, Morocco.
conditions: Luria-Bertani (LB) medium was prepared by
adding 0.5g yeast extract, 10.NaCl, and 1.0g tryptone to 100 ml
dH2O. PET sample was also added to the medium.
International Journal of Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Research 1061

The test of biodegradation was incubated 30 days at 37°C IR These results are consistent with a study of biodegradation of
analysis of polyurethane degradation PET fibers and which also showed low degradation of this
polymer (Jianfei et al., 2004). Many researchers and institutes
Scanning electron microscopy: SEM was used to characterize are engaged in the study of biodegradation of PET (Kohei,
surface modifications of PET samples. Images of experimental 2002; Huang et al., 1980; Yoon et al., 2001) but these studies
surfaces showed decomposition and penetration of bacterium are still in the primary stage due to the compact chemical
on the PET samples. structure of this polymer. PET spectrum is characterized by the
Infra red: IR spectra of the PET samples were analyzed using presence of characteristic absorption bands of functions: (Fig
an IR spectrometer VERTEX 70, after 30 days of incubation. 3A)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Surface morphology after biodegradation

The environmental scanning electron microscopy analysis

before and after degradation of PET. The results of the effect
of bacterial degradation on PET surface are presented in Fig 2.
According to these findings, the surface of the sample control
of PET is opaque and very smooth (Fig 2.A), compared to the
samples the samples which have subjected to the treatment by
bacterial solutions. Indeed, the samples of PET polymer
obtained after the immersion in the bacterial medium of
Bacillus subtilis showed the whitish cracks formation on its
surface (Fig 2.B).

Fig. 3. (A): infrared spectrum of PET before test of

biodegradation (B): infrared spectrum of PET after test of
biodegradation

 Esters: 1050-1300 cm -1 (deformation δ C-O), 1720 to 1730

cm-1 (elongation ν C = O), 1240 cm-1 (deformation δO = CO);
 Aromatic at 1500-1600 cm-1 (deformation δ C = C) 3020 cm
-1

(elongation ν H-C);
-1 -1
 lkyl at 1450 cm (νCH2 elongation) and 715-750 cm
(deformation δCH2).

The spectrum of the PET after biodegradation by Baccilus is

characterized by the disappearance of absorption bands located
at 2995, 2940, 2950 cm-1 (elongation ν (-CH-)), decrease in
intensity of the band located at 1711 cm-1 (ester carbonyl), the
appearance of bands at 1339 and 1405 1449 cm-1 (deformation
δ(-CH-)), 1240, 1085 and 1014 cm -1 (elongation ν (-CO-)) and 870
cm-1 (elongation ν (-CC-) (Fig 3B). In this study the degradation
of PET by Bacillus has been chemically demonstrated by
Fig. 2. (A) SEM images of PET before microbiological testing infrared spectroscopy, which shows A progressive reduction in
(B) SEM images of PET treated with Bacillus subtilis
the relative intensity of the peak carbonyl was observed and
was accompanied by more subtle changes at another wave
From these results given by ESEM, it is found and noted that
number (Fig 3). In the previous studies on activity of Bacillus
Bacillus subtilis strain has shown a significant interaction and
subtilis toward different polymers (Nakkabi et al., 2015). Such
effect on the PET surface producing low morphological
polyurethane were showed that Bacillus subtilis was able to
heterogeneity and signs of erosion which show his ability to
degrade completely polyurethane.
react and degrade the PET,.
International Journal of Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Research 1062

The loss of this peak is consistent with hydrolysis of the ester Huang, S. J. and Byrne, C. A. J. 1980. Appl. Polym. Sci., 25:
bond in the urethane linkage (Nakkabi et al., 2015). The 1951.
growth of Bacillus subtilis, scattered on the surface of PET Kohei, O. 2002. US 6.376, 213 B1.
film, resulted in the emergence of a few small holes after one Nakkabi, A., Sadiki, M., Saad Ibnssouda and Fahim, M. 2015.
month (Fig 2A). Biological degradation of polyurethane by a newly isolated
wood bacterium. International Journal of Recent Advances
These results are the same given by other study who used the in Multidisciplinary Research, 02: 0222-0225.
fungus Penicillium funiculosum (Bozena et al., 2011) The Nakkabi, A., Sadiki, M., Fahim, M., Ittobane, N. Koraichi, S.I.,
current literature reports some fungi having the ability to Barkai, H. and El Abed, S. 2015. Biodegradation of
degrade polyethylene tetrephtatate. This is the first study that poly(ester urethane)s by Bacillus subtilis. Int J Environ
demonstrates a capacity of the degradation of polyetheylen Res., 9: 157–162.
tetraphtalate by bacillus subtillus. Many researchers and NOWAK, B. et al. 2011. Biodegradation of poly(ethylene
institutes are engaged in the study of biodegradation of PET terephthalate) modified with polyester “Bionolle” by
(Kohei, 2002; Huang et al., 1980; Yoon et al., 2001) but these Penicillium funiculosum. POLYMERY. 56, nr 1.
studies are still in the primary stage due to the compact Rudakova, T. E., Zaikov, G.E., Voronkova, O.S., Daurova,
chemical structure of this polymer. T.T. and Degtyareva, S. M. 1979. Sci. Polym. Symp., 66:
277.
Conclusion Shimao, M. 2001. Biodegradation of plastics. Current Opinion
in Biotechnology. 12: 242–247.
Widespread studies on the biodegradation of plastics have been Vassiliou A.A., K. Chrissafis and Bikiaris, D.N. 2010.
carried out in order to overcome the environmental problems Thermochimica Acta 500. 1: 21–29.
associated with synthetic plastic waste. Biodegradation of Yoon, M. Y., Kellis, J. and Poulose, A. J. 2001. Procedings of
plastics by microorganisms and enzymes seems to be the most the AATCC. International conference et exhibition
effective process to fight against plastic waste. AATCC. Research Triangle Park NC, CD-ROM.
Zhang, J., Wang, X., Gong, J. and Gu, Z. 2004. A Study on the
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