Work

Synergistic bioremediation: Fungal-bacterial partnership degrades LDPE microplastics twice as fast

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Microplastics have recently emerged as one of the most critical environmental problems. LDPE has become one of the most extensively used plastic polymers, and it has a significant potential for microplastic production. The present study used a fungal-bacterial co-culture ( Bacillus velezensis EBL50 and Sarocladium strictum EBL60) to degrade microplastics. The co-culture resulted in 26.3% weight loss after 60 days—double that of fungal mono-cultures (13.2%) and four times that of bacterial mono-cultures (6.8%)—reducing LDPE's half-life from 602 days (bacteria alone) to 134 days. SEM revealed significant surface erosion, while FTIR and TGA indicated structural and thermal destabilisation. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of oxidative degradation products, indicating enzymatic degradation. The findings highlight fungal-bacterial synergism as a potent and environmentally friendly method for accelerating microplastic bioremediation.

Source: Current Research in Microbial Sciences

DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2025.100450

Authors: Fatemeh Alidoosti, Minoo Giyahchi, Hamid Moghimi

Institution: University of Tehran

Language: English

Topic: Microplastics and Plastic Pollution

Subfield: Pollution

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,680