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Biodegradation of synthetic polymers in soils: Tracking carbon into CO2 and microbial biomass.

  • Zumstein MT Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Schintlmeister A Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network "Chemistry Meets Biology", University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria.
  • Nelson TF Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Baumgartner R Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Woebken D Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network "Chemistry Meets Biology", University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria.
  • Wagner M Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network "Chemistry Meets Biology", University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria.
  • Kohler HE Environmental Biochemistry Group; Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
  • McNeill K Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Sander M Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
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  • 2018-07-28
Published in:
  • Science advances. - 2018
Agriculture
Biodegradation, Environmental
Biomass
Carbon
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Isotopes
Fungi
Lipase
Polyesters
Polymers
Soil Microbiology
Spectrometry, Mass, Secondary Ion
English Plastic materials are widely used in agricultural applications to achieve food security for the growing world population. The use of biodegradable instead of nonbiodegradable polymers in single-use agricultural applications, including plastic mulching, promises to reduce plastic accumulation in the environment. We present a novel approach that allows tracking of carbon from biodegradable polymers into CO2 and microbial biomass. The approach is based on 13C-labeled polymers and on isotope-specific analytical methods, including nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS). Our results unequivocally demonstrate the biodegradability of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), an important polyester used in agriculture, in soil. Carbon from each monomer unit of PBAT was used by soil microorganisms, including filamentous fungi, to gain energy and to form biomass. This work advances both our conceptual understanding of polymer biodegradation and the methodological capabilities to assess this process in natural and engineered environments.
Language
  • English
Open access status
gold
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Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/181597
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