DEGRADATION OF TEREPHTHALIC ACID USING MICROORGANISMS ISOLATED FROM POLLUTED ENVIRONMENT

Plastic, ubiquitous in everyday life, excessive use leads to accumulation and pollution of the environment. Numerous techniques have been tested in order to reduce pollution. The use of microorganisms capable to degrading plastic substrates is increasingly in the focus of research. Apart from being able to depolymerize plastics, it is important to assess their ability to utilize released monomers as carbon source. In this work, five microorganisms from polluted environment were tested for utilization of terephthalic acid (TPA), major monomer of polyethylenetherephtalate (PET). It was shown with certainty that TPA is not inert to the action of the used microorganisms by HPLC analysis. Also, these microbes reduced its concentration in a short period of time and transformed it into new intermediates.