Acceleration of Polybutylene Succinate Biodegradation by Terribacillus sp. JY49 Isolated from a Marine Environment

Abstract

Polybutylene succinate (PBS) is a bioplastic substitute for synthetic plastics that are made from petroleum-based products such as polyethylene and polypropylene. However, the biodegradation rate of PBS is still low and similar to that of polylactic acid (PLA). Moreover, our knowledge about degrader species is limited to a few fungi and mixed consortia. Here, to identify a bacterial degrader to accelerate PBS degradation, we screened and isolated Terribacillus sp. JY49, which showed significant degradability. In order to optimize solid and liquid culture conditions, the effect of factors such as temperature, additional carbon sources, and salt concentrations on degradation was confirmed. We observed a degradation yield of 22.3% after 7 days when adding 1% of glucose. Additionally, NaCl was added to liquid media, and degradation yield was decreased but PBS films were broken into pieces. Comparing the degree of PBS degradation during 10 days, the degradation yield was 31.4% after 10 days at 30 °C. Alteration of physical properties of films was analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). In addition, Terribacillus sp. JY49 showed clear zones on poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), polycaprolactone (PCL), and copolymers such as P(3HB-co-3HV) and P(3HV-co-4HB), exhibiting a broad spectrum of degradation activities on bioplastics. However, there was no significant difference in absorbance when esterase activity was examined for different types of bioplastics. Overall, Terribacillus sp. JY49 is a potential bacterial strain that can degrade PBS and other bioplastics, and this is the first report of Terribacillus sp. as a bioplastic degrader.

A lesson from polybutylene succinate plastisphere to the discovery of novel plastic degrading enzyme genes in marine vibrios

“…Such a feature against NaCl is unexpected in a secreted enzyme originating from marine bacteria. Accumulated knowledge from discoveries of bacteria from marine environments (Lee et al, 2013; Kim et al, 2022) including Vr19890 suggested that PBS and PBSA can be degraded under marine conditions. Current biodegradability evaluation methods consider only the enzymes that biodegrade in a relatively short period as being able to biodegrade.…”

“…The growth of Terribacillus sp. JY49, a PBS‐degrading bacterium, was inhibited by the presence of high concentrations (>8 mM) of succinate, the monomer component of PBS, which prolonged the time to increase the degradation yield of the PBS film (Kim et al, 2022). In V. ruber , PBSase was not affected by end products.…”

“…and Terribacillus sp. have been isolated from marine sands and coastal sediments, respectively (Lee et al, 2013; Kim et al, 2022), however, unexpectedly, no apparent abundant members of Gram‐negative typical marine and/or halophilic bacteria capable of degrading PBS have been found yet, which gives rise to the perception that PBS is less biodegradable in the ocean (Urbanek et al, 2020). This situation also indicates that discarded PBS might not be so different from other more typical plastics in the ocean.…”

Reproducible Polybutylene Succinate (PBS)-Degrading Artificial Consortia by Introducing the Least Type of PBS-Degrading Strains

“…Terribacillus sp. JY49 was isolated from marine samples and exhibited degradability to PBS [ 22 ]. Bacillus sp.…”

“…Several studies have focused on the degradation of PBS, a material commonly used in everyday applications, due to the action of individual bacterial strains. However, research on PBS degradation by consortia comprising multiple bacterial strains is scarce ( Table 1 ) [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Various species of Bacillus and Terribacillus , isolated from environmental sources, are known for their ability to degrade different types of polyester plastics.…”