Structural breakdown and phytotoxic assessments of PE degradation through acid hydrolysis, starch addition and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bioremediation

Vast amounts of plastic waste are causing serious environmental issues and urge to develop of new remediation methods. The aim of the study is to determine the role of inorganic (nitric acid), organic (starch addition), and biological (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) soil amendments on the degradation of Polyethylene (PE) and phytotoxic assessment for the growth of lettuce plant. The PE-degrading bacteria were isolated from the plastic-contaminated soil. The strain was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (OP007126) and showed the highest degradation percentage for PE. PE was pre-treated with nitric acid as well as starch and incubated in the soil, whereas P. aeruginosa was also inoculated in PE-contaminated soils. Different combinations were also tested. FTIR analysis and weight reduction showed that though nitric acid was efficient in degradation, the combined application of starch and bacteria also showed effective degradation of PE. Phytotoxicity was assessed using morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters of plant. Untreated PE significantly affected plants' physiology, resulting in a 45% reduction in leaf chlorophyll and a 40% reduction in relative water content. It also had adverse effects on the biochemical parameters of lettuce. Bacterial inoculation and starch treatment mitigated the harmful impact of stress and improved plants' growth as well as physiological and biochemical parameters; however, the nitric treatment proved phytotoxic. The observed results revealed that bacteria and starch could be effectively used for the degradation of pre-treated PE.