Photocatalytic degradation of low-density polythene using protein-coated titania nanoparticles and Lactobacillus plantarum

ABSTRACT

The biodegradation of low-density Polyethylene (LDPE) is usually time-consuming, In the presence of Titania-nanoparticles, LDPE is photocatalytically degraded in smaller fragments afterward the bacteria can effectively degrade polyethylene. In the current study, potent polyethylene degrading bacteria were screened from the soil of the local dumpsite and identified using 16s rRNA sequencing. The protein-coated titania nanoparticle (TNPs) was synthesized using Sol-gel Method and characterized by XRD, and SAED-HRTEM. The photocatalytic biodegradation of LDPE (30 microns) in presence of 1M NaOH was studied by exposing it to UV irradiation, visible light, and high temperature (50°C) for 21 days separately and photocatalytic biodegradation was assessed by monitoring % weight loss at every 7 days’ time interval, tensile strength, and FTIR. After 21 days of photocatalytic biodegradation, LDPE film containing both TNPs and Lactobacillus plantarum along with 1M NaOH in presence of visible light was unveiled oxidation and enumerated via the occurrence of strong absorptions band of the carbonyl group (C=O) and also the breaking and weakening of existing absorptions bonds along with the new carbonyl functional group formation. The decline in tensile strength was measured at 21% after 21 days. Thus, experimental results on LDPE after exposure to visible irradiation along with Lactobacillus plantarum and 5% protein-coated TNP showed improvement in degradation rate and elongation 59 % and 51% within 21 days, respectively in comparison to another study (49 % Weight loss and 12% elongation after 45 days). An excellent application of this research is significantly reduced plastic waste via a maintained procedure.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Lactobacillus plantarum
• low-density polyethylene biodegradation
• photocatalysis
• titania nanoparticle
• biodegradation

Acknowledgements

We are thankful to the President and Provost of CHARUSAT for supporting this research work. We are thankful to Head, Dr. K. C. Patel Research and Development Centre (KRADLE) affiliated with Charotar University of Science and Technology (CHARUSAT), India for granting permission to use various equipment available in their characterization laboratory. We are also grateful to the principal and head of the microbiology department of Shri A. N. Patel P. G. Institute of Science and Research, Charotar Education Society for their kind support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The authors confirm that the data used to supporting the findings of this study are included within the article. Raw data that supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.