Using microbes to remove microplastics from the environment

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Yang Liu, a researcher at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, will discuss a new technique for capturing and recovering microplastics at the Microbiology Society’s annual conference today.

The process uses bacterial biofilms, a sticky substance produced by microorganisms, to capture microplastic particles. The biofilm is then processed and dispersed, releasing the microplastic particles for processing and recycling.

Liu and colleagues used the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to capture microplastics in a bioreactor. This type of bacteria is found in all environments and has been shown to colonize microplastics in the environment.

P. aeruginosa biofilms cause the microplastics to aggregate and eventually sink. According to Liu, this makes collecting microplastics more convenient in bioreactors. After the microplastic was captured by the biofilms and sunk to the bottom of the reactor, the researchers used a biofilm dispersion gene that caused the biofilm to release the microplastic. Liu stated that this “allows for a convenient release of microplastics from the biofilm matrix, which is otherwise difficult and expensive to break down, so that the microplastics can later be recovered for recycling.”

Microplastics are extremely problematic and pose a major risk to food chains and human health, according to Liu: “They are not easily biodegradable because they remain in ecosystems for long periods of time leading to a leading burden. ” Due to their large surface area and adsorption capacity, microplastics can adsorb toxic pollutants such as pesticides, heavy metals and drug residues in high concentrations. This leads to biological and chemical toxicity for organisms in the ecosystems and in humans after prolonged unintentional consumption of such microplastics. In addition, microplastics are difficult to remove even in sewage systems, which leads to their undesirable release into the environment. “

The next steps in the research are to move the proof-of-concept from the laboratory to an environment: “Next, we plan to isolate natural pro-biofilm-forming bacterial isolates from either wastewater or aquatic environments and identify where they are increased display showing ability to colonize and form biofilms on microplastics. “

Liu and colleagues hope that at some point the technology will be used in sewage treatment plants to prevent microplastics from escaping into the oceans. You also need to find natural compounds to stimulate biofilm distribution of the pro-biofilm-forming bacterial isolates. “This provides a basis for future applications in sewage treatment plants, where microplastics can be removed in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.”

Microplastics are a big problem and more techniques are needed to safely remove them from our environment. Explaining the importance of this, Liu says, “It is imperative to develop effective solutions that capture, collect and even recycle this microplastic to stop it.” Plasticization of our natural environment. “

Biofilms occur when communities of bacteria band together and form a protective shield or biofilm from sticky exopolymeric substances. Biofilms can be problematic as they protect the bacteria from external influences such as environmental changes and antibiotics.

Microplastics are plastic particles with a diameter of less than 5 mm. They can be released into the environment through a number of sources, including breaking down larger pieces of plastic, washing synthetic clothing, breaking down car tires, and plastic waste straight from industry. Current methods of disposing of microplastics, such as incineration or landfill, are limited and have their own disadvantages.

The study shows the complexity of microplastic pollution

More information:
Yang will present his data at the Microbiology Society’s annual conference Online 2021 during the poster session on microbial biotechnology.

Provided by the Microbiology Society

Quote: Using Microbes to Remove Microplastics from the Environment (2021, April 28) Retrieved April 28, 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2021-04-microbes-microplastics-environment.html

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