Article
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Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Microbial Degradation of PET Plastic Sustainably Yielding Commercially Viable Products
Version 1
: Received: 17 June 2021 / Approved: 21 June 2021 / Online: 21 June 2021 (14:52:03 CEST)
How to cite: Kapoor, A.; Varshney, C. Microbial Degradation of PET Plastic Sustainably Yielding Commercially Viable Products. Preprints 2021, 2021060519. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202106.0519.v1 Kapoor, A.; Varshney, C. Microbial Degradation of PET Plastic Sustainably Yielding Commercially Viable Products. Preprints 2021, 2021060519. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202106.0519.v1
Abstract
Plastics are extensively used due to their versatility, durability, and low cost. PET stands for Polyethylene terephthalate. PET plastic is widely used all over the world and has many applications ranging from water bottles to fabrics like polyester and many things in between. But its unrestrained use in every field is resulting in heaps and piles of non-biodegradable materials causing damage to the environment and causing pollution. The idea being proposed is to degrade the PET plastic biologically using different bacteria. The bacteria used in this process are Ideonella sakaiensis, Acetobacterium woodii, Pelotomaculum and Methanospirillum hungatei. PET plastic is degraded, yielding Terephthalic Acid (TPA) and Ethylene Glycol (EG) by the action of the bacterium I. sakaiensis. Degradation of EG by A. woodii results in the formation of acetate and ethanol. TPA is degraded by the action of the coculture of Pelotomaculum and M. hungatei thereby yielding methane and acetate. All these products formed have significant commercial uses in various industries. The complete process that is to be carried out can help in achieving sustainability by fulfilling various Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.
Keywords
Polyethylene terephthalate; Microbial degradation; Sustainable development
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Anatomy and Physiology
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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