Polyethylene is degraded by the deep-sea Acinetobacter venetianus bacterium

Abstract

Polyethylene is a plastic pollutant impacting marine life, calling for advanced remediation methods such as biodegradation. However, there is actually limited information on polyethylene-degrading bacteria in the marine environment. Here, we studied bacterial degradation of polyethylene and associated phthalates additives using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, gel permeation chromatography and genomic and transcriptomic techniques. Results show that a deep-sea bacteria, Acinetobacter venetianus F1, can degrade 12.2% of polyethylene after 56 days, following the alkane metabolic pathway. Phthalates were also degraded via the metabolic pathways of benzoic acid and phthalic acid. This is first report of polyethylene-degrading bacteria from deep-sea environments.