Microplastics Biodegradation by Natural Microbiomes

In this work, the ability of natural microbiomes (landfill leachate and marine sediment) to degrade microplastics, namely polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polycaprolactone (PCL) in powder (1 mm diameter), was investigated. Aerobic and anaerobic microcosms were prepared. Incubations were performed at thermophilic (55 °C) or mesophilic (37 °C) temperature, for the landfill leachate or marine sediment, respectively. Based on the best PCL biodegradation ability of the landfill leachate, microbial communities present in the anaerobic and aerobic assays were studied.