Biodegradation of unpretreated Low-Density Polyethylene by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia isolated from Galleria mellonella

Plastic pollution, particularly from Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), presents significant environmental challenges due to its resistance to degradation. LDPE is a widely used plastic known for its durability and resistance to degradation, posing significant environmental challenges. However, certain microorganisms have demonstrated the ability to biodegrade LDPE, offering a potential solution for plastic waste management. These microbes, including various bacteria and fungi, utilize LDPE as a carbon source, breaking it down through enzymatic processes. This study focuses on the biodegradation of LDPE using bacterial strains isolated from Galleria mellonella. Bacteria like Stenotrophomonas maltophilia have demonstrated the ability to degrade LDPE under specific conditions. In the methodology, LDPE films were subjected to bacterial treatments, and degradation was measured through weight loss, surface morphology changes using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and chemical structure analysis through FTIR and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used to analyze the degraded products, revealing the presence of alkanes, fatty acids, esters, and other compounds. The results showed a significant reduction in the crystalline structure of LDPE, with bacteria achieving up to 20.4% weight loss over the incubation period. Also the bacterial strain showed decreased virulence, including absence of haemolytic activity and coagulase production and it ddemonstrated lower antibiotic resistance These findings support the potential use of bacteria for plastic waste biodegradation. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.