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Diversity and functional genes of bacterial communities enriched from an estuarine sediment for degradation of polylactic acid microplastics
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Metadata
Document Title
Diversity and functional genes of bacterial communities enriched from an estuarine sediment for degradation of polylactic acid microplastics
Author
Krainara S.
Name from Authors Collection
Affiliations
Department of Environmental Health and Technology, School of Public Health, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand; Excellent Center for Public Health Research: EC for PHR, School of Public Health, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand; Center of Excellence in Microbial Technology for Marine Pollution Treatment (MiTMaPT), Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand; Excellent Center of Waste Utilization and Management, Pilot Plant Development and Training Institute (PDTI), King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Bangkok, 10150, Thailand; of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Aichi, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan; Biochemical Engineering and Systems Biology Research Group, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, 10150, Thailand; Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Faculty of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand; The Center for Scientific and Technological Equipment, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand
Type
Article
Source Title
Emerging Contaminants
ISSN
24056650
Year
2025
Volume
11
Issue
4
Open Access
All Open Access; Gold Open Access
Publisher
KeAi Communications Co.
DOI
10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100582
Abstract
The accumulation of polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics (MPs) in estuaries presents significant environmental challenges. The potential biodegradation of PLA MPs was rarely studied in estuarine sediments from urban areas. This study examined PLA MPs biodegradation during enrichment and assessed microbial diversity and functional gene shifts between raw estuarine sediment (day 0) and enriched culture (day 60). The enriched culture at 60-day post-incubation reduced the 40 % weight of the initial 2 g L−1 PLA MPs, accompanied by a decrease in the carbonyl peak at 1747 cm−1, indicating oxidative polymer chain cleavage. In addition, the biodegradation process significantly altered microbial diversity and promoted key synergistic genera such as Symbiobacterium, Sphingobacterium, Comamonas, Pseudomonas, and Alcaligenes for cooperative PLA MPs biodegradation. Linear discriminant analysis scores highlighted the distinct differences in microbial profiles between the raw estuarine sediment and the enriched culture. In addition, functional genes including pht2, tphA2, putative chitinase, esterase, and lipase were enriched, which would facilitate biopolymer and phthalate degradation. These findings revealed how PLA MP exposure affected microbial carbon and nitrogen metabolism in estuarine sediment and uncovered synergistic bacterial taxa with biotechnological potential for sustainable plastic waste treatment. © 2025 The Authors
Keyword
biodegradation | Biogeochemical cycles | Estuarine sediment | Microbial culture | PLA microplastics
License
CC BY-NC-ND
Rights
Authors
Publication Source
Scopus