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Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
Published on: May 10, 2013
Metabolic process and mechanistic model of white-rot fungi degrading plastic films by solid-state fermentation
Zhi Guo1, Lin Yao1, Xingpan Guo2
1School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China; Anhui Ecological Civilization Research Institute, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
Abstract:
Recent studies have demonstrated the capacity of white-rot fungi to degrade nonoxygen-containing plastics, yet how it occurs for oxygen-containing (O-containing) in solid-state fermentation (SSF) system remains unclear. In this study, we systematically evaluated the biodegradation pathways of O-containing plastic films, including two commercially compostable plastics (compostable plastic and starch-based compostable plastic) and two self-prepared plastics (polylactic acid (PLA) containing 1% oxalic acid and PLA containing 0.1% oxalic acid), by co-cultivation with Phanerochaete chrysosporium under SSF. SSF promoted plastic depolymerization and mineralization by coupling an oxidative microenvironment with fungal metabolic and co-metabolic activity. In particular, two compostable plastics exhibited similar degradation rates due to their comparable intrinsic structures, while high concentrations of oxalic acid enhance PLA oxidation and acid-catalyzed hydrolysis, promoting ester bond cleavage and resulting in significantly higher biodegradation efficiency. Meanwhile, key functional genes related to oxidation and hydrolytic metabolism (such as alcohol oxidase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, aconitate hydratase, and members of the short-chain dehydrogenase (SDR) family) showed high expression levels. Among them, compared to studies on nonoxygen-containing plastics, the SDR family genes were significantly upregulated 28-fold (p < 0.05, n = 3). Overall, these findings demonstrate that white-rot fungi in solid-state fermentation systems provide a promising and sustainable strategy for the efficient biodegradation of O-containing plastic films.
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