ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Hemlata Sharma1 and Deepesh Kumar Neelam1,2
1Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, JECRC University, Ramchandrapura Industrial Area, Vidhani, Sitapura Extension, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
2Centre of Research in Environmental Sustainability (CRES), JECRC University, Ramchandrapura Industrial Area, Vidhani, Sitapura Extension, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Article Number: 10322 | © The Author(s). 2025
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2025;19(2):1434-1447. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.19.2.47
Received: 17 February 2025 | Accepted: 08 April 2025 | Published online: 02 June 2025
Issue online: June 2025
Abstract

Low density polyethylene (LDPE) is widely used plastic and its use has increased over the past few decades due to its extensive properties. The increased use of plastic generates an increasing amount of plastic waste making waste management more challenging and ultimately contributing to plastic pollution. One possible solution to this issue is the biodegradation of LDPE by utilizing microorganisms which can be advantageous economically and environmentally. There are no studies specifically addressing the biodegradation of vegetable packaging LDPE films by bacteria isolated from waste disposal sites. In this study, bacteria that can degrade vegetable packaging LDPE films were isolated from waste disposal site located in Langdiyawas, Jaipur, Rajasthan. The isolates were screened for LDPE biodegradation using clear zone assay. In the presence of LDPE powder, isolates IRB1 and IRB13 were able to grow and produce clear zone surrounding the colony. Weight loss analysis has been done after 120 days of incubation to assess the biodegrading capability of the isolates. Isolates IRB1 and IRB13 significantly reduced the weight of LDPE film, resulting in weight loss of 19.94 ± 2.15% and 25.08 ± 1.18%, respectively. The efficacy of isolates was further confirmed using biofilm formation, hydrophobicity, fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. IRB1 and IRB13 have been identified as Enterobacter sp. and Bacillus sp., respectively by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Both isolates have shown promising results towards LDPE biodegradation and could aid in the management of plastic waste, hence reducing plastic pollution.

Keywords

Low Density Polyethylene, Biodegradation, Weight Loss, Biofilm Formation, Hydrophobicity

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© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.