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Low‐Density Polyethylene (LDPE) Degradation by Consortia of Chryseobacterium Sp. and Methylorubrum Spp. Isolated From a Solid Waste Landfill

Hellen Cabeza-Vásquez,Yoshiro Reaño-Segundo,Marilín Sánchez-Purihuamán,Ada P. Barturén-Quispe,J. Caro-Castro,Segundo Vásquez-Llanos,Carlos Villanueva-Aguilar,Carmen Carreño-Farfán

Published 2025 in Applied and Environmental Soil Science

ABSTRACT

Plastics are ubiquitous materials; however, their improper disposal and slow degradation make them environmental pollutants. This study aimed to analyze the degradation of low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) by bacterial consortia isolated from a solid waste landfill. LDPE‐utilizing bacteria were isolated and selected based on their 2,3,5‐triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) reduction time. These were then formulated and evaluated as three bacterial consortia. From 160 isolated bacterial strains, 28.1% demonstrated LDPE‐degrading capabilities. The three bacterial consortia degraded LDPE more effectively (5.71%–7.11% weight loss) compared to the individual constituent bacteria (5.41%–5.95%). Consortium 6, comprising Chryseobacterium cucumeris and Methylorubrum strains, achieved the highest polymer weight loss (7.11%), with a degradation rate of 0.00123 g·day−1, a residual LDPE half‐life of 563.41 days, a 31.86% reduction in tensile strength, and notable functional groups changes compared to an uninoculated control. These results demonstrate the high LDPE degradation potential of landfill‐isolated bacteria. These ubiquitous, nutritionally versatile, and adverse‐conditions‐tolerant bacteria, when combined in consortia, exhibit synergistic effects that accelerate polymer degradation.

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