Evaluation of Microbial Degradation of Thermoplastic and Thermosetting Polymers by Environmental Isolates

Abstract

In this study, a microbial–enzymatic strategy was pursued to address the challenge of degrading thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers. Environmental microorganisms were isolated, and their enzymatic activities were assessed using colorimetric assays to evaluate their potential for producing enzymes capable of degrading these polymers. Microorganisms demonstrating higher activity in the enzymatic assays were selected for a 30-day biodegradation experiment, in which epoxy resins, polyethylene terephthalate, or polystyrene served as the sole carbon source. The effectiveness of biodegradation was assessed through the ATR-FTIR analysis of the chemical composition and the SEM examination of surface characteristics before and after degradation. The results indicated that thermoplastic compounds were more susceptible to microbial degradation, exhibiting greater changes in absorbance. In particular, PET treated with Stenotrophomonas sp. showed the most significant efficacy, achieving a 60.18% reduction in the area under the curve with a standard error of ± 3.42 when analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy. Significant alterations in surface morphology were noticed in thermoplastic compounds. In contrast, thermosetting compounds demonstrated lower reactivity, as evidenced by the absence of band shifts in FTIR spectra and minor changes in bond absorbance and surface morphology.