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Enhancement of in vitro high-density polyethylene (HDPE) degradation by physical, chemical, and biological treatments

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Abstract

Partially degraded high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was collected from plastic waste dump yard for biodegradation using fungi. Of various fungi screened, strain MF12 was found efficient in degrading HDPE by weight loss and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometric analysis. Strain MF12 was selected as efficient HDPE degraders for further studies, and their growth medium composition was optimized. Among those different media used, basal minimal medium (BMM) was suitable for the HDPE degradation by strain MF12. Strain MF12 was subjected to 28S rRNA sequence analysis and identified as Aspergillus terreus MF12. HDPE degradation was carried out using combinatorial physical and chemical treatments in conjunction to biological treatment. The high level of HDPE degradation was observed in ultraviolet (UV) and KMnO4/HCl with A. terreus MF12 treatment, i.e., FT10. The abiotic physical and chemical factors enhance the biodegradation of HDPE using A. terreus MF12.

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Acknowledgments

One of the authors, V. Balasubramanian, would like to thank the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India for their financial support in the form of Dr. D.S. Kothari Post-Doctoral Fellowship to carry out this research work. We sincerely thank Sophisticated Analytical Instrumentation Facility (SAIF), IIT Madras for availing SEM facility to our research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rhizosphere Biology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India

    V. Balasubramanian, K. Natarajan & V. Rajeshkannan

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Periyar University, Salem, 636 011, Tamil Nadu, India

    V. Balasubramanian & P. Perumal

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  1. V. Balasubramanian
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  2. K. Natarajan
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  3. V. Rajeshkannan
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  4. P. Perumal
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Correspondence to V. Balasubramanian.

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Responsible editor: Bingcai Pan

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Balasubramanian, V., Natarajan, K., Rajeshkannan, V. et al. Enhancement of in vitro high-density polyethylene (HDPE) degradation by physical, chemical, and biological treatments. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 12549–12562 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3191-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3191-2

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