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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
Published on: May 10, 2013
Biodegradation of aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters by Thermomonospora fusca and other thermophilic compost isolates
I Kleeberg1, C Hetz, R M Kroppenstedt
1Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Forschung mbH, Braunschweig, Germany.
Abstract:
Random aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters synthesized from 1,4-butanediol, adipic acid, and terephthalic acid (BTA) have excellent thermal and mechanical properties and are biodegradable by mixed cultures (e.g., in compost). Over 20 BTA-degrading strains were isolated by using compost as a microbial source. Among these microorganisms, thermophilic actinomycetes obviously play an outstanding role and appear to dominate the initial degradation step. Two actinomycete strains exhibited about 20-fold higher BTA degradation rates than usually observed in a common compost test. These isolates were identified as Thermomonospora fusca strains. They appeared to be particularly suitable for establishment of rapid degradation tests and were used in comparative studies on the biodegradation of various polyesters.
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