Abstract
Bioplastics are eco-friendly and derived from renewable biomass sources. Innovation in recycling methods will tackle some of the critical issues facing the acceptance of bioplastics. Polylactic acid (PLA) is the commonly used and well-studied bioplastic that is presumed to be biodegradable. Considering their demand and use in near future, exploration for microbes capable of bioplastic degradation has high potential. Four PLA degrading strains were isolated and identified as Penicillium chrysogenum, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Serratia marcescens and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. A consortium of above strains degraded 44 % (w/w) PLA in 30 days time in laboratory conditions. Subsequently, the microbial consortium employed effectively for PLA composting.
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This work is financially supported by CSIR, New Delhi under the XIIth Five year plan Net work project Waste to Wealth (CSC 0120).
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Nimisha R. Nair and Vini C. Sekhar have contributed equally to this work.
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Nair, N.R., Sekhar, V.C. & Nampoothiri, K.M. Augmentation of a Microbial Consortium for Enhanced Polylactide (PLA) Degradation. Indian J Microbiol 56, 59–63 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-015-0559-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-015-0559-z