Wastewater bacteria can break down plastic for food

                          Finding could lead to bioengineering solutions to clean up plastic waste

Researchers have long observed that a common family of environmental bacteria, Comamonadacae, grow on plastics littered throughout urban rivers and wastewater systems. But what, exactly, these bacteria are doing has remained a mystery.

Now, Northwestern-led researchers have discovered how cells of a Comamonas bacterium are breaking down plastic for food. First, they chew the plastic into small pieces, called nanoplastics. Then, they secrete a specialized enzyme that breaks down the plastic even further. Finally, the bacteria use a ring of carbon atoms from the plastic as a food source, the researchers found.

“We have systematically shown, for the first time, that a wastewater bacterium can take a starting plastic material, deteriorate it, fragment it, break it down and use it as a source of carbon,” said Northwestern’s Ludmilla Aristilde, who led the study, which was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. “It is amazing that this bacterium can perform that entire process, and we identified a key enzyme responsible for breaking down the plastic materials.”

The discovery opens new possibilities for developing bacteria-based engineering solutions to help clean up difficult-to-remove plastic waste, which pollutes drinking water and harms wildlife.

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