An approach to low-density polyethylene biodegradation by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is a major cause of persistent and long-term environmental pollution. In this paper, two bacterial isolates Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BSM-1) and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BSM-2) were isolated from municipal solid soil and used for polymer degradation studies. The microbial degradation LDPE was analyzed by dry weight reduction of LDPE film, change in pH of culture media, CO₂ estimation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and fourier transform infrared FTIR spectroscopy of the film surface. SEM analysis revealed that both the strains were exhibiting adherence and growth with LDPE which used as a sole carbon source while FTIR images showed various surface chemical changes after 60 days of incubation. Bacterial isolates showed the depolymerization of biodegraded products in the extracellular media indicating the biodegradation process. BSM-2 exhibited better degradation than BSM-1 which proves the potentiality of these strains to degrade LDPE films in a short span of time.