An Egyptian research team has succeeded in developing an innovative technology that uses bacterial strains to break down highly polluting polyvinyl chloride (PVC), in order to address the global plastic waste crisis.
The research team from the Faculty of Science at Cairo University succeeded in reaching promising results in the field of biological treatment of plastic pollution, through the use of bacterial strains capable of breaking down polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is one of the most difficult types of plastic to decompose and the most impactful on the environment.
The study revealed the ability of several bacterial strains isolated from contaminated soil to break down and decompose PVC. The bacterial strain Stutzerimonas sp. NH2 showed outstanding efficiency in breaking down about 23.4% of the plastic weight, while the decomposition rate increased to 26.8% when combined with another bacterial strain, reflecting the promising potential for using these microorganisms in developing biological solutions for treating plastic waste and reducing its environmental impact.
The study results confirmed that substantial changes occurred in the surface structure of the treated plastic, as electron microscope images and chemical analyses showed the appearance of clear cracks and gaps in its structure, which represents direct evidence of the success of the biodegradation process of the plastic material.
The results of this research were published in the prestigious international journal Microbial Cell Factories, ranked in the first category (Q1), published by the global publishing house Springer Nature, reflecting the quality of the research, its scientific level, and its ability to compete in international scientific forums.
