Characterization of Newly Discovered Polyester Polyurethane-degradingMethylobacterium AquaticumStrain A1

Abstract

Methylobacterium aquaticumA1, a novel strain capable of degrading polyester polyurethane (PE-PUR). The attachment ofM. aquaticumA1 to PE-PUR and its degradation capabilities were verified using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Analysis of the reference genome ofM. aquaticumrevealed genes encoding enzymes with potential PE-PUR degrading activity, including esterases, lipase, proteases and amidase such astesA, pgpB, aes, aprE, lon, degQandgatA. An esterase activity assay usingp-nitrophenyl acetate (p-NPA) showed increased ester bond-cleaving activity whenM. aquaticumA1 was exposed to polyurethane diol (PU-diol), suggesting inducible enzymatic activity involved in PE-PUR degradation. These findings highlight the potential ofM. aquaticumA1 as a promising biocatalyst for PE-PUR degradation.