100

7 Bioremediation of Plastics and Polythene in Marine Water

Table 7.1

Microorganisms involved in the bioremediation of different types of plastic.

Sr. no.

Type of plastic

Organism

References

1.

Polyethylene

Rhodococcus ruber

[6]

Penicillium simplicissimum

[7]

Brevibacillus borstelensis

[8]

Streptomyces sp.

Zalerion maritimum

[9]

2.

Polyhydroxy alkanoic

acid (PHA)

Pseudomonas stutzeri

[10]

Alcaligenes faecalis

[11]

Streptomyces sp.

[12]

Basidiomycetes, deuteromycetes

(Penicillium, Aspergillus),

ascomycetes

[13]

3.

Polycaprolactone

(PCL)

Alcaligenes faecalis

[13]

Clostridium botulinum

[10]

Fusarium

[14]

Pseudomonas sp.

[15]

Moritella sp.

[16]

Shewanella

[16]

4.

Polylactic acid (PLA)

Bacillus brevis

[17]

Fusarium moniliforme

[14]

Penicillium roqueforti

[10]

5.

Polyurethane (PU)

Fusarium solani, Aureobasidium

pullulans sp.

[18]

Pseudomonas chlororaphis

[19]

6.

Polyvinyl chloride

(PVC)

Pseudomonas putida

[20]

7.

Polystyrene

Rhodococcus ruber

[21]

8.

Polyethylene

terephthalate (PET)

Bacillus cereus

[22]

Bacillus gottheilli

9.

Polypropylene (PP)

Bacillus sp.

[23]

Rhodococcus sp.

7.4.1.1

Polyethylene (PE)

Polyethylene, also known as daily use plastic, could be largely seen floating at the

sea surface. It is the most difficult form of polymer to degrade because of its linear

long carbon chain (family: polyolefins), which is very stable and contains balanced

charges for the destabilization of local charge enzymatic oxidation via monooxyge-

nases and dioxygenases, which leads to the formation of alcohol and peroxyl group.