Pubblicazioni

Autori:

Salini, Andrea; Zuliani, Luca; Gonnelli, Paolo Matteo; Orlando, Marco; Odoardo, Andrea; Ragno, Daniele; Aulitto, Martina; Zaccone, Claudio; Fusco, Salvatore

Titolo:

Plastic-Degrading Microbial Consortia from a Wastewater Treatment Plant

Anno:

2024

Tipologia prodotto:

Articolo in Rivista

Tipologia ANVUR:

Articolo su rivista

Lingua:

Inglese

Formato:

Elettronico

Referee:

Sì

Nome rivista:

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES

ISSN Rivista:

1422-0067

N° Volume:

25

Numero o Fascicolo:

23

Intervallo pagine:

1-17

Parole chiave:

activated sludge; biocatalytic recycling; microbial plastic degradation; plastic-active enzymes; polyesters; polyethylene terephthalate (PET); polylactic acid (PLA); thermophilic enzymes; wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)

Breve descrizione dei contenuti:

Plastic waste pollution has become a global crisis, with millions of tons of plastic expected to accumulate in landfills and in natural environments, posing a serious threat to wildlife and human health. As current recycling methods remain inefficient, there is an urgent need for innovative enzymatic solutions to break down plastics and enable a circular economy approach. In this study, we explore the plastic-degrading potential of microorganisms enriched from activated sludge (AS) sourced from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)-a known microplastic-contaminated industrial niche. Five microbial consortia (i.e., microbiomes) were enriched under selective pressure using low-carbon conditions and high concentrations of polyester polymers, including post-consumer PET, post-consumer PLA, and virgin PLA. Enrichment was performed for 100 days at 37 °C and 50 °C, followed by microbiomes isolation and metagenomic analysis to identify plastic-active bacteria and their enzymes. The results revealed that PLA polymers, but not post-consumer PET, were effectively degraded by the microbiomes, as confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC), showing significant molecular weight reduction compared to the abiotic controls. Microbial community analysis highlighted a distinct enrichment profile driven by the polymer composition and the temperature. At 50 °C, the Bacillales order became the predominant population, whereas at 37 °C, a more diverse community within the Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria phyla were selected. Nonetheless, the enriched microbial communities at both temperatures included phyla with members known for polyester degradation. Moreover, at 50 °C, enrichment of putative PET/PLA hydrolases was also observed. These findings suggest that AS microorganisms are a reservoir of polyester-active enzymes, particularly PLA-depolymerases, and hold promise for advancing biotechnological strategies to mitigate plastic pollution through re- and up-cycling.

Pagina Web:

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252312747

Id prodotto:

143443

Handle IRIS:

11562/1147767

ultima modifica:

13 aprile 2025

Citazione bibliografica:

Salini, Andrea; Zuliani, Luca; Gonnelli, Paolo Matteo; Orlando, Marco; Odoardo, Andrea; Ragno, Daniele; Aulitto, Martina; Zaccone, Claudio; Fusco, Salvatore, Plastic-Degrading Microbial Consortia from a Wastewater Treatment Plant «INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES» , vol. 25 , n. 23 , 2024 , pp. 1-17

Consulta la scheda completa presente nel repository istituzionale della Ricerca di Ateneo