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Microbial degradation of aliphatic and aliphatic-aromatic co-polyesters

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Abstract

Biodegradable plastics (BPs) have attracted much attention since more than a decade because they can easily be degraded by microorganisms in the environment. The development of aliphatic-aromatic co-polyesters has combined excellent mechanical properties with biodegradability and an ideal replacement for the conventional nondegradable thermoplastics. The microorganisms degrading these polyesters are widely distributed in various environments. Although various aliphatic, aromatic, and aliphatic-aromatic co-polyester-degrading microorganisms and their enzymes have been studied and characterized, there are still many groups of microorganisms and enzymes with varying properties awaiting various applications. In this review, we have reported some new microorganisms and their enzymes which could degrade various aliphatic, aromatic, as well as aliphatic-aromatic co-polyesters like poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene succinate)-co-(butylene adipate) (PBSA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(ethylene succinate) (PES), poly(l-lactic acid) (PLA), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(3-hydoxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalterate) (PHB/PHBV), poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT), poly(butylene succinate-co-terephthalate) (PBST), and poly(butylene succinate/terephthalate/isophthalate)-co-(lactate) (PBSTIL). The mechanism of degradation of aliphatic as well as aliphatic-aromatic co-polyesters has also been discussed. The degradation ability of microorganisms against various polyesters might be useful for the treatment and recycling of biodegradable wastes or bioremediation of the polyester-contaminated environments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan

    Aamer Ali Shah

  2. Bioindustrial Sciences, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan

    Toshiaki Nakajima-Kambe

  3. Mitsubishi Chemical Group Science and Technology Research Center, Inc, 1000 Kamoshida-cho, Aoba-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, 227-8502, Japan

    Satoshi Kato & Noboru Shintani

  4. Department of Biotechnology, Central Leather Research Institute, Adyar, Chennai, 600 020, India

    Numbi Ramudu Kamini

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  1. Aamer Ali Shah
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  2. Satoshi Kato
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  3. Noboru Shintani
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  4. Numbi Ramudu Kamini
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  5. Toshiaki Nakajima-Kambe
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Correspondence to Toshiaki Nakajima-Kambe.

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Shah, A.A., Kato, S., Shintani, N. et al. Microbial degradation of aliphatic and aliphatic-aromatic co-polyesters. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 98, 3437–3447 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-5558-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-5558-1

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