Way to explore the possible solution to the problem. Plastic pollution is among one of the concerned problem of the growing world. What we through takes an era or more to degrade. Advancement in the living standards hits the environmental problems which destroy our natural ambient condition.

1. IDEONELLA
SAKAIENSIS
PLASTIC EATING
BACTERIA
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

2. • Polymer and its type
• Synthetic polymer
• Thermoplastic and its types
• PET polymer
• How PET Polymer is made
• Pros and cons of PET polymer
• Discovery of bacteria
• Characterization of bacteria
• Requirement for optimum growth for bacteria
• How bacteria deals with PET polymer
• Impact and applications
TOPICS TO BE COVERED

3. IDEONELLA SAKAIESIS
can decompose PET polymer
BUT
What is PET polymer?
&
How does IDEONELLA
SAKAIENSIS works?

4. PET
Kind of
polymer
polymer,
commonly
called
PLASTIC
IDEONELLA
SAKAIENSIS,
is a bacteria
Can
decompose
PET polymer

5. TYPES OF POLYMER
THERMOSETTING
PLASTIC
(cannot be melted)
THERMOPLASTIC
(can be melted)
SEMI
CRYSTALLINE
(less transparent)
NATURAL
POLYMER
AMORPHOUS
(transparent)
ELASTOMERS
(Elastic polymer)
SYNTHETIC
POLYMER
PET
CRYSTALLINE
(opaque)

6. SYNTHETIC
POLYMER
Synthetic polymers (PLASTICS) are
long chain organic compounds, mostly
composed of Carbon, Hydrogen,
Chlorine, Sulfur, Oxygen and Nitrogen,
which can be molded or shaped.
Monomers of C-H compounds
combined to make a long chain
compounds called POLYMER.
Monomer is a repeating unit cell in a
polymer.

7. Easy to
manufacture
Low cost of
production
Thermal &
chemical
resistant
Durable &
light weight
Low density
& high
toughness
THERMOPLASTIC
A VERSATILE MATERIAL

9. PET POLYMER
• Polyethylene terephthalate is the most
common thermoplastic polymer resin of the
polyester family and is used in fibres for
clothing, containers for liquids and foods.
• PET consists of polymerized units of the
monomer ethylene terephthalate, with
repeating (C10H8O4) units. PET is
commonly recycled and has the number "1"
as its resin identification code (RIC).
Melting point is
• >250 ℃
• Most of the the world's PET production is
involved in bottle production.
• Depending on its processing and thermal
history, polyethylene terephthalate may
exist both as an amorphous (transparent)
and as a semi-crystalline polymer.

10. TEREPHTHALIC ACID
ETHYLENE GLYCOL
POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE
(PET)
WATER
HOW PET IS MADE
POLYMERIZATION
REACTION
200-250 ℃
60 Psi

11. • PET production all around the world is
huge.
• It is manufactured for drinking water
and beverages.
• Plastic bottles are lighter in weight than
their glass counterparts, reducing energy
and costs required to ship products.
• Because PET are soft and have relatively
low melting points, PET bottles take less
energy to manufacture than glass.
SO WHAT’S THE
PROBLEM THEN?
PET BOTTLES

12. RATE OF DEGRADTION
• Can remain hundreds of years without decomposing.
• Most end up in landfills or as litter.
• Accumulates in land and water.
• It disintegrates into “MICRO-PLASTICS” .
• Causing severe danger to the land and water species.

13. IDEONELLA
SAKAIENSIS
PLASTIC EATING BACTERIA
Microbiology comes up with the idea of biodegradation
of PET polymer in order to solve this issue to some
extent. IDEONELLA SAKAIENSIS is a kind bacteria,
which is famous for breaking down and consuming
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymer resin. It is also
called “PLASTIC EATING BACTERIA”.

14. • Ideonella Sakaiensis is a type of bacteria,
lives in aerobic conditions.
• Its rod shape bacteria.
• It can move while having polar flagellum.
• Ideonella Sakaiensis expands in form of
colonies, which are colorless, smooth and
circular in shape.
• They are positive for catalase and
cytochrome oxidase. They are also
CHEMOORGANOTROPHS i.e. They
can utilize organic acids, amino acids, and
carbohydrates as sole carbon source.
CHARACTERIZATION OF
BACTERIA

15. Discovery of IDEONELLA
SAKAIENSIS was first
identified in 2016 by a team
of researchers led by KOHEI
ODA of KYOTO
INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY and KENJI
MIYAMOTO OF KEIO
UNIVERSITY in SAKAI,
JAPAN.

16. Researchers did some tests
in order to examine its
functionality. They first
isolated the bacteria from
other microorganisms and
then left them with sample of
contaminated PET bottles in
plastic bottles recycling
facility. This bacteria
degraded the sample and
convert it back to its original
constituents, also use its
carbon as energy source.

17. POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET)
TEREPHTHALIC ACID
ETHYLENE GLYCOL
IDEONELA
SAIKAIENSIS

18. RATE OF DEGRADATION
This colony of this wild bacterium can
degrade 0.2 mm thickness, low crystallinity
(soft) PET polymer within six weeks.
Whereas, for high crystallinity (hard) PET
polymer, time becomes 30 times slower than
soft polymer, approximately.
REQUIREMENTS FOR
OPTIMUM GROWTH
• Required temperature is about 15-42 ℃,
optimally 30-37 ℃.
• pH for bacterial growth ranges from 5.5-
9.0, optimally 7-7.5.
• Size of bacteria varies from 0.6-0.8
micrometer in width and length up to 1.2-
1.5 micrometer.

19. HOW IDEONELLA SAKAIENSIS
ASSIMILATES PET POLYMER

20. APPLICATIONS
 This bacteria could help us to reduce the debris of PET polymer to a
great extent.
 Faster and more broad-spectrum plastic biodegradation.
 Use as bio-sensors for oceanic microplastic problem.
 Use for biological recycling and bioremediation.
 It can isolate terephthalic acid, which can be reused to make new
polymer without the need of petrol-based starting materials.

21. • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-09326-3
• https://www.popsci.com/bacteria-enzyme-plastic-waste/
• https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/115/19/E4350.full.pdf
• https://www.britannica.com/science/plastic
• http://ir.nmu.org.ua/bitstream/handle/123456789/154264/108.pdf?sequence=1
REFERENCES

22. THANK YOU
Contributor
AIMAN FATIMA