Investigating chemical-biological degradation of plastic compounds by fungi isolated from industrial plastic waste

Abstract

This study aimed to isolate chemical-biological plastic-degrading fungi and investigate their enzymatic biochemical activity. A collection of fungal isolates from 30 different plastic compounds collected from industrial waste. Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium commune, Bipolaris sorokiniana, Curvularia eragrostidis capable of chemical-biological degrading the selected compounds were identified based on PCR. Using lccC and Mnp primers, the gene of Mnp and laccase producing enzyme was identified. SEM was used to determine the surface degradation, porosity, and fragility of polyethylene, and FTIR was used to determine its chemical structure. Aspergillus niger, Curvularia eragrostidis, penicillium commune, and Bipolaris sorokiniana were identified among the industrial plastic waste, they decompose polyethylene more and Aspergillus flavus showed the greatest weight loss in the decomposition of industrial plastic waste in the culture medium. The decomposition of plastic waste by microbes in a short time not only solves the problem of waste accumulation but also produces valuable compounds like SCP.