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Updated: May 26, 2026

Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
Published on: May 10, 2013
Bio-plastic (P-3HB-co-3HV) from Bacillus circulans (MTCC 8167) and its biodegradation
Pinkee Phukon1, Jyoti Prasad Saikia, Bolin Kumar Konwar
1Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Tezpur, Assam, India.
Abstract:
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are naturally occurring polyesters synthesized by bacteria for carbon and energy storage and it has commercial potential as bioplastic. The bacterial species Bacillus circulans MTCC 8167, isolated from crude oil contaminated soil, can efficiently produce medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (P-3HB-co-3HV) from cheap carbon sources like dextrose. The molecular mass of P-3HB-co-3HV was reported as 5.1×10(4)Da with polydispersity index of 1.21 by gel permeation chromatography. In the present investigation different bacteria and fungi species were used for testing the biodegradability of the extracted polymer. The FTIR spectra of the biodegraded PHBV film showed a decrease in the peak from 1735 cm(-1) (untreated film) to 1675 cm(-1), and disappearance of a peak present in the control at 2922 cm(-1) indicating the breakdown of ester (>C=O) or O-R group and -C=H bond, respectively. From biodegradability testing, the tested microorganisms were found to have decisive contribution to the biodegradation of P-3HB-co-3HV polymer.
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