Isolation of plastic-degrading Gram-positive bacteria from Mosul Environment-Iraq
Article Main
Abstract
Plastic accumulation cause ecological problems effect on health, due to non-solubility of plastic in water, bacteria play role in degradation polymer, This study aimed to isolate and identify bacterial species which possessed capability in degrading polyethylene terephthalate (PET) represented by water bottle and low density polyethylene(LDPE) represented by shopping black bags, eleven soil samples were collected from soil polluted . After 4 months of incubation, 11 samples showed bacterial growth and were capable of using LDPE and PET as carbon sources, identified using the 16S rRNA sequencing technique. Six of them degraded PET were Cytobacillus firmus ZE14.iq , Bacillus thaonhiensis ZE17.iq , Bacillus subtilis ZE15.iq , Micrococcus yunnanensis ZE81.iq , Ectobacillus funiculus ZE19.iq, and Peribacillus frigoritolerans ZE20.iq , while the other five isolates degraded LDPE were Peribacillus frigoritolerans ZE13.iq , Priestia megaterium ZEV6.iq , Paenibacillus lautus ZE11.iq , Bacillus subtilis ZE16.iq , and Bacillus subtilis ZE12.iq. The degradation was detected using FTIR, GC-MS, weight loss, and SEM techniques; the FTIR spectrum showed variations in the intensity of functional groups. It formed a new chemical bond in the polymer , and the most potent ability to degrade (PET) was achieved by Cytobacillus firmus at 56%. In contrast, the highest percentage of weight loss for LDPE was 48% by Bacillus subtilis. GC-MS analysis revealed the formation of fatty acids, alcohols, Aldehydes, and other new compounds. SEM showed alterations in the physical properties of the PET surface, which degraded with bacterial treatment compared with the control plastic that was untreated with bacteria.
Article Details
Article Details
Keywords
Polyethylene terephthalate, Plastic degradation, Low density polyethylene, Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy ( FTIR) , Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
References
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Al hajar, M. W., Al -Ahmady, K. K., and Mhemid, R.K.. (2025). Assessment of Indoor Microplastic Particles Pollution in Selected Sites of Mosul City, Journal of Ecological Engineering, 24(9), 322–332.
Al Omari, A., Al noori, A., Al sammak, E., (2024). Anti-adherence modified denture base resin using polyethylene glycol (PEG) an chlordhexidine diacetate salt (CHX, Journal of Bioscience and Applied Research,10(4), P.727-743.
Al Jarjary ,M. , Hazim ,and Al sammak,E. H.,(2023). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA Gene of Burkholderia cepacia complex species isolated from different clinical sources, Rafidain Journal of Science, 32 (3).
Almashhadani, M. A., and Qassim, W. S. (2025). Bioactivity of silver nanoparticles produced by the aqueous extract of local Trichoderma longibrachiatum isolates against some types of MDR bacteria. Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems, 16(1),e25037.
Bakht, A., Rasool, N., Iftikhar, S.,( 2020). Characterization of plastic degrading bacteria isolated from landfill sites. Int. J. Clin. Microbiol. Biochem. Technol. 3 (1), 030–035.
Biber, N.F.A., Foggo, A.and Thompson, R.C.(2019). Characterizing the deterioration of different plastics in air and seawater. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 141, 595–602.
Bonifazi, G., Fiore, L., Pelosi, C., Serranti, S.(2023). Evaluation of Plastic Packaging Waste Degradation in Seawater and Simulated Solar Radiation by Spectroscopic Techniques, J. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 207, 110215.
Chamas, A., Moon, H., Zheng, J.J., Qiu, Y., Tabassum, T., Jang, J.H., Abu-Omar, M.,Scott, S.L., Suh, S.,(2020). Degradation Rates of Plastics in the Environment. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng., 8, 3494–3511
Colaninno, P. M., E. Goldman & L. Green (2021). Identification of Gram-Positive Organisms. Practical Handbook of Microbiology: 51-58.
Faisal.R. M and Alsaffar, R. S, (2023). Bioplastic Degradation, Production and Genetic Improvements of Bioplastic Producing Strains: A review, Rafidain Journal of Science, 32(2)pp.69-74.
Gazi, S., Đokić, M., Chin, K. F., Ng, P. R., & Soo, H. Sen, (2019). Visible Light–Driven Cascade Carbon–Carbon Bond Scission for Organic Transformations and Plastics Recycling. Advanced Science, 6(24).
Gupta, Kartikey, Sharma, Kamal, Chandra , Harish ,(2022). Micrococcus luteus strain CGK112 isolated from cow dung demonstrated efficient biofilm-forming ability and degradation potential toward high-density polyethylene (HDPE, Arch Microbiol., 19;204(7):402.
Hasan,R.S ,ALsammak,E.G.(2024).The effect of rhamnolipid on gene expression of five adhesion genes fimB - fimH in Escherichia coli isolated from clinical sources in Mosul, Iraq, Malaysian Journal of Microbiology,20(6).
Hale, R. C., Seeley, M. E., La Guardia, M. J., Mai, L. and Zeng, E. Y. (2020) .A .global perspective on microplastics. J .Geophys Res-Ocean,s 125 .
Ibiene, A. A., Stanley, H. O. and Immanuel, O. M. (2013). Biodegradation of polyethylene by Bacillus sp. indigenous to the Niger delta mangrove swamp. Niger. J. Biotechnol., 26: 68-78.
Jumaah, S.O.(2017). Screening of plastic degrading bacteria from dumped soil area, Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology, 11(5) ,pp 93- 98.
Jeon, J., Park, S., Choi, T., Park, J., Yang, Y., and Yoon, J. (2021). Biodegradation of polyethylene and polypropylene by Lysin bacillus species JJY0216 isolated from soil grove, J.Polymer Degradation and Stability, 191, 109662.
Kirstein, I. V., Hensel, F., Gomiero, A., Iordachescu, L., Vianello, A., Wittgren, H. B., & Vollertsen, J. (2021). Drinking plastics? –Quantification and qualification of microplastics in drinking water distribution systems by μFTIR and Py-GCMS. Water Research, 188, 116519.
Lalina, M, Ibrar KI, Yoo HS, Kim S, Park HT, Ahmad B, Azam S. (2021). Identification and characterization of low-density polyethylene-degrading bacteria isolated from soils of waste disposal sites. Environ. Eng. Res.26 (3): 200167.
Lear,G., Kingsbury,J., Franchini,S, (2021). Plastics and the microbiome: impacts and solutions. Environ. Microbiome, 16,1–19.
Lou,Y., Ekaterina, P., Yang, S.-S.,Lu, B., Liu, B., Ren, N. (2020).Biodegradation of polyethylene and polystyrene by greater wax moth larvae (Galleria mellonella L.) and the effect of co-diet supplementation on the Core gut microbiome. Environmental Science & Technology, 54, 2821–2831
23.Montazer, Z., Habibi-Najafi, M. B., Mohebbi, M. and Oromiehei, A. (2018). Microbial degradation of UV-pretreated low-density polyethylene films by novel polyethylene- degrading bacteria isolated from plastic-dump soil. J. Environ. Polym. Degrad. 26: 3613- 3625.
24.Moshood, T. D., Nawanir, G., Mahmud, F., Mohamad, F., Ahmad, M. H., AbdulGhani, A., 2022. Sustainability of biodegradable plastics: New problem or solution to solve the global plastic pollution?. Curr. Res. Green Sustain. Chem., 100273.
Muhsin,Z.A., Mutar ,S. and Mohammed,N.G.(2024). A Systematic Review of Bioremediation of Soil Pollution Using Different Types of Bacteria 2015-2023, Wasit Journal for Pure Sciences, 3(4)..
Nguyen B, Claveau-Mallet D, Hernandez LM, Xu EG, Farner JM and Tufenkji N, (2019).Separation and Analysis of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Complex Environmental Samples, Acc. Chem. Re.s, 52, 858–866
Nadeem, H., Alia, K.B., Muneer, F., Rasul, I., Siddique, M.H., Azeem, F., Zubair,M.,(2021). Isolation and identification of low-density polyethylene degrading novel bacterial strains. Arch. Microbiol., 203 (9), 5417–5423.
Oliveira, J.; Belchior, A.; da Silva, V.D.; Rotter, A.; Petrovski, Ž.; Almeida, P.L.; Lourenço, N.D.; Gaudêncio, S.P.(2020) Marine Environmental Plastic Pollution: Mitigation by Microorganism Degradation and Recycling Valorization. Front. Mar. Sci.,7, 5671.
Rani,R., Jitender,R., Kumari,P., Singh,N., Santal1,A.,(2022). Biodegradation and detoxification of low-density polyethylene by an indigenous strain Bacillus licheniformis SARR1, Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology, 10(01)
Salih.S.Talal and Saeed,K.Hiba,(2021). Specialized High –Quality 16s Ribosomal RNA Gene Databases for Identification of Bacterial Taxonomic Groups,Review, Rafidain Journal of Science, 3( 2), 40-46.
Seeley, M ,E.B. Song, R. Passie, R. C. Hale, (2020).Microplastics affect sedimentary microbial communities and nitrogen cycling, Nat. Commun. 11 , 1– 1032.
Silva, R. R. A., Marques, C. S., Arruda, T. R., Teixeira, S. C., & de Oliveira, T. V. (2023). Biodegradation of Polymers: Stages, Measurement, Standards and Prospects. Macromol, 3(2), 371–399.
Taher, E.M., Abdullah,B. and AL Taie,A.A.(2024). Phenotypic and genotypic detection of biofilm genes for Proteus, Morganella, Providencia (PMP) bacterial group isolated from clinical samples of some hospitals in Mosul/Iraq, J. Applied and Natural Science,16(4).
Tamura, K., Stecher, G. & Kumar, S. (2021). MEGA12: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis version 12. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 38(7), 3022-3027.
Yang, S.S.; Brandon, A.M., Flanagan, J.C.A., Yang, J., Ning, D., Cai, S.Y., Fan, H.Q., Wang, Z.Y., Ren, J., Benbow, E. (2018). Biodegradation of polystyrene wastes in yellow mealworms (larvae of Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus): Factors affecting biodegradation rates and the ability of polystyrene-fed larvae to complete their life cycle. Chemosphere , 191, 979– 989.
Yuan, J. Ma, Y. Sun, T. Zhou, Y. Zhao, F. (2020). Microbial degradation and other environmental aspects of microplastics/plastics, Sci. Total Environ., 715 , 13696.
Zahid, H.; Afzal, N., Arif, M.M.,Zahid, M.;,Nawab, S., Qasim, M.M., Alvi, F.N., Nazir, S., Perveen, I., Abbas, N., et al.,(2024).Microorganism-mediated biodegradation for effective management and/or removal of micro-plastics from the environment: Acomprehensive review. Arch. Microbiol. , 206, 198.
Zantis,L.J., Carroll,E.L., Nelms,S.E.,(2021).Marine mammals and microplastics: a systematic review and call for standardization. Environ. Pollut., 269, 116142
Zhang, J., and Yan, F.(2021).Pyrolysis behaviors of polyethylene terephthalate(PET): A density functional study, International Journal of Modern Physi., 35, 04, 10.1142/S021797922150048X
Al hajar, M. W., Al -Ahmady, K. K., and Mhemid, R.K.. (2025). Assessment of Indoor Microplastic Particles Pollution in Selected Sites of Mosul City, Journal of Ecological Engineering, 24(9), 322–332.
Al Omari, A., Al noori, A., Al sammak, E., (2024). Anti-adherence modified denture base resin using polyethylene glycol (PEG) an chlordhexidine diacetate salt (CHX, Journal of Bioscience and Applied Research,10(4), P.727-743.
Al Jarjary ,M. , Hazim ,and Al sammak,E. H.,(2023). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA Gene of Burkholderia cepacia complex species isolated from different clinical sources, Rafidain Journal of Science, 32 (3).
Almashhadani, M. A., and Qassim, W. S. (2025). Bioactivity of silver nanoparticles produced by the aqueous extract of local Trichoderma longibrachiatum isolates against some types of MDR bacteria. Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems, 16(1),e25037.
Bakht, A., Rasool, N., Iftikhar, S.,( 2020). Characterization of plastic degrading bacteria isolated from landfill sites. Int. J. Clin. Microbiol. Biochem. Technol. 3 (1), 030–035.
Biber, N.F.A., Foggo, A.and Thompson, R.C.(2019). Characterizing the deterioration of different plastics in air and seawater. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 141, 595–602.
Bonifazi, G., Fiore, L., Pelosi, C., Serranti, S.(2023). Evaluation of Plastic Packaging Waste Degradation in Seawater and Simulated Solar Radiation by Spectroscopic Techniques, J. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 207, 110215.
Chamas, A., Moon, H., Zheng, J.J., Qiu, Y., Tabassum, T., Jang, J.H., Abu-Omar, M.,Scott, S.L., Suh, S.,(2020). Degradation Rates of Plastics in the Environment. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng., 8, 3494–3511
Colaninno, P. M., E. Goldman & L. Green (2021). Identification of Gram-Positive Organisms. Practical Handbook of Microbiology: 51-58.
Faisal.R. M and Alsaffar, R. S, (2023). Bioplastic Degradation, Production and Genetic Improvements of Bioplastic Producing Strains: A review, Rafidain Journal of Science, 32(2)pp.69-74.
Gazi, S., Đokić, M., Chin, K. F., Ng, P. R., & Soo, H. Sen, (2019). Visible Light–Driven Cascade Carbon–Carbon Bond Scission for Organic Transformations and Plastics Recycling. Advanced Science, 6(24).
Gupta, Kartikey, Sharma, Kamal, Chandra , Harish ,(2022). Micrococcus luteus strain CGK112 isolated from cow dung demonstrated efficient biofilm-forming ability and degradation potential toward high-density polyethylene (HDPE, Arch Microbiol., 19;204(7):402.
Hasan,R.S ,ALsammak,E.G.(2024).The effect of rhamnolipid on gene expression of five adhesion genes fimB - fimH in Escherichia coli isolated from clinical sources in Mosul, Iraq, Malaysian Journal of Microbiology,20(6).
Hale, R. C., Seeley, M. E., La Guardia, M. J., Mai, L. and Zeng, E. Y. (2020) .A .global perspective on microplastics. J .Geophys Res-Ocean,s 125 .
Ibiene, A. A., Stanley, H. O. and Immanuel, O. M. (2013). Biodegradation of polyethylene by Bacillus sp. indigenous to the Niger delta mangrove swamp. Niger. J. Biotechnol., 26: 68-78.
Jumaah, S.O.(2017). Screening of plastic degrading bacteria from dumped soil area, Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology, 11(5) ,pp 93- 98.
Jeon, J., Park, S., Choi, T., Park, J., Yang, Y., and Yoon, J. (2021). Biodegradation of polyethylene and polypropylene by Lysin bacillus species JJY0216 isolated from soil grove, J.Polymer Degradation and Stability, 191, 109662.
Kirstein, I. V., Hensel, F., Gomiero, A., Iordachescu, L., Vianello, A., Wittgren, H. B., & Vollertsen, J. (2021). Drinking plastics? –Quantification and qualification of microplastics in drinking water distribution systems by μFTIR and Py-GCMS. Water Research, 188, 116519.
Lalina, M, Ibrar KI, Yoo HS, Kim S, Park HT, Ahmad B, Azam S. (2021). Identification and characterization of low-density polyethylene-degrading bacteria isolated from soils of waste disposal sites. Environ. Eng. Res.26 (3): 200167.
Lear,G., Kingsbury,J., Franchini,S, (2021). Plastics and the microbiome: impacts and solutions. Environ. Microbiome, 16,1–19.
Lou,Y., Ekaterina, P., Yang, S.-S.,Lu, B., Liu, B., Ren, N. (2020).Biodegradation of polyethylene and polystyrene by greater wax moth larvae (Galleria mellonella L.) and the effect of co-diet supplementation on the Core gut microbiome. Environmental Science & Technology, 54, 2821–2831
23.Montazer, Z., Habibi-Najafi, M. B., Mohebbi, M. and Oromiehei, A. (2018). Microbial degradation of UV-pretreated low-density polyethylene films by novel polyethylene- degrading bacteria isolated from plastic-dump soil. J. Environ. Polym. Degrad. 26: 3613- 3625.
24.Moshood, T. D., Nawanir, G., Mahmud, F., Mohamad, F., Ahmad, M. H., AbdulGhani, A., 2022. Sustainability of biodegradable plastics: New problem or solution to solve the global plastic pollution?. Curr. Res. Green Sustain. Chem., 100273.
Muhsin,Z.A., Mutar ,S. and Mohammed,N.G.(2024). A Systematic Review of Bioremediation of Soil Pollution Using Different Types of Bacteria 2015-2023, Wasit Journal for Pure Sciences, 3(4)..
Nguyen B, Claveau-Mallet D, Hernandez LM, Xu EG, Farner JM and Tufenkji N, (2019).Separation and Analysis of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Complex Environmental Samples, Acc. Chem. Re.s, 52, 858–866
Nadeem, H., Alia, K.B., Muneer, F., Rasul, I., Siddique, M.H., Azeem, F., Zubair,M.,(2021). Isolation and identification of low-density polyethylene degrading novel bacterial strains. Arch. Microbiol., 203 (9), 5417–5423.
Oliveira, J.; Belchior, A.; da Silva, V.D.; Rotter, A.; Petrovski, Ž.; Almeida, P.L.; Lourenço, N.D.; Gaudêncio, S.P.(2020) Marine Environmental Plastic Pollution: Mitigation by Microorganism Degradation and Recycling Valorization. Front. Mar. Sci.,7, 5671.
Rani,R., Jitender,R., Kumari,P., Singh,N., Santal1,A.,(2022). Biodegradation and detoxification of low-density polyethylene by an indigenous strain Bacillus licheniformis SARR1, Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology, 10(01)
Salih.S.Talal and Saeed,K.Hiba,(2021). Specialized High –Quality 16s Ribosomal RNA Gene Databases for Identification of Bacterial Taxonomic Groups,Review, Rafidain Journal of Science, 3( 2), 40-46.
Seeley, M ,E.B. Song, R. Passie, R. C. Hale, (2020).Microplastics affect sedimentary microbial communities and nitrogen cycling, Nat. Commun. 11 , 1– 1032.
Silva, R. R. A., Marques, C. S., Arruda, T. R., Teixeira, S. C., & de Oliveira, T. V. (2023). Biodegradation of Polymers: Stages, Measurement, Standards and Prospects. Macromol, 3(2), 371–399.
Taher, E.M., Abdullah,B. and AL Taie,A.A.(2024). Phenotypic and genotypic detection of biofilm genes for Proteus, Morganella, Providencia (PMP) bacterial group isolated from clinical samples of some hospitals in Mosul/Iraq, J. Applied and Natural Science,16(4).
Tamura, K., Stecher, G. & Kumar, S. (2021). MEGA12: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis version 12. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 38(7), 3022-3027.
Yang, S.S.; Brandon, A.M., Flanagan, J.C.A., Yang, J., Ning, D., Cai, S.Y., Fan, H.Q., Wang, Z.Y., Ren, J., Benbow, E. (2018). Biodegradation of polystyrene wastes in yellow mealworms (larvae of Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus): Factors affecting biodegradation rates and the ability of polystyrene-fed larvae to complete their life cycle. Chemosphere , 191, 979– 989.
Yuan, J. Ma, Y. Sun, T. Zhou, Y. Zhao, F. (2020). Microbial degradation and other environmental aspects of microplastics/plastics, Sci. Total Environ., 715 , 13696.
Zahid, H.; Afzal, N., Arif, M.M.,Zahid, M.;,Nawab, S., Qasim, M.M., Alvi, F.N., Nazir, S., Perveen, I., Abbas, N., et al.,(2024).Microorganism-mediated biodegradation for effective management and/or removal of micro-plastics from the environment: Acomprehensive review. Arch. Microbiol. , 206, 198.
Zantis,L.J., Carroll,E.L., Nelms,S.E.,(2021).Marine mammals and microplastics: a systematic review and call for standardization. Environ. Pollut., 269, 116142
Zhang, J., and Yan, F.(2021).Pyrolysis behaviors of polyethylene terephthalate(PET): A density functional study, International Journal of Modern Physi., 35, 04, 10.1142/S021797922150048X
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Isolation of plastic-degrading Gram-positive bacteria from Mosul Environment-Iraq. (2026). Journal of Applied and Natural Science, 18(1), 566-574. https://doi.org/10.31018/jans.v18i1.7019
