Isotactic polypropylene biodegradation by a microbial community: physicochemical characterization of metabolites produced

• Published in: Applied and Environmental Microbiology Vol. 59; no. 11; pp. 3695 - 3700
• Main Authors: Cacciari, I, Quatrini, P, Zirletta, G, Mincione, E, Vinciguerra, V, Lupattelli, P, Giovannozzi Sermanni, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for Microbiology 01-11-1993
• Subjects: Alcaligenes - isolation & purification; Alcaligenes - metabolism; Anaerobiosis; BACTERIA; Bacteriology; BIOCHEMISTRY; BIODEGRADACION; BIODEGRADATION; Biodegradation of pollutants; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; CHEMISTRY; DECOMPOSITION; Environment and pollution; Environmental Pollutants - metabolism; ESTER; ESTERES; FLORA DEL SUELO; FLORE DU SOL; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HIDROCARBUROS; HYDROCARBURE; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; METABOLITE; METABOLITES; METABOLITOS; MICROORGANISMS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC POLYMERS; POLIMEROS; Polyethylenes - metabolism; POLYMERE; POLYMERS; POLYOLEFINS 560300 > Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology; POLYPROPYLENE; Polypropylenes - chemistry; Polypropylenes - metabolism; Pseudomonas - isolation & purification; Pseudomonas - metabolism; RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT; Soil Microbiology; Spectrophotometry, Infrared; Vibrio - isolation & purification; Vibrio - metabolism; Characterization; Biodegradation; Pollutant; Soils; Biodegradability; Metabolite; Propylene polymer; Mixed microorganism culture; Bacteria; Isolation; Physicochemical properties; Adaptation
• ISSN: 0099-2240; 1098-5336
• DOI: 10.1128/aem.59.11.3695-3700.1993

From a selective enrichment culture prepared with different soil samples on starch-containing polyethylene we isolated four microaerophilic microbial communities able to grow on this kind of plastic with no additional carbon source. One consortium, designated community 3S, was tested with pure isotactic polypropylene to determine whether the consortium was able to degrade this polymer. Polypropylene strips were incubated for 5 months in a mineral medium containing sodium lactate and glucose in screw-cap bottles. Dichloromethane crude extracts of the cultures revealed that the weight of extracted materials increased with incubation time, while the polypropylene sample weight decreased. The extracted materials were characterized by performing chromatographic and spectral analyses (thin-layer chromatography, liquid chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, infrared spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance). Three main fractions were detected and analyzed; a mixture of hydrocarbons at different degrees of functionalization was found together with a mixture of aromatic esters, as the plasticizers usually added to polyolefinic structures