Isolation and Characterization of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Degrading Bacteria from Polluted Sites of Gwalior City, M.P., India

Abstract

Plastic is harmful to nature and this issue could be solved by its degradation. Biodegradation of plastic waste utilizing bacterial strain is an eco-friendly approach. In this study, top bacterial strains that degrade the polymeric ingredient of the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were isolated and identified using a development culture procedure. For this investigation, soil from various contaminated areas was collected, which had abundant plastic waste. The biodegradation of polyvinylchloride films was studied using a liquid culture approach for six months. A couple of bacterial organism packs were then limited to emulsifying the commonly used PVC polymer in agar media. The PVC strain showed particular degradation and was chosen for further testing because the species Bacillus and Micrococcus were considered more credible. Bacillus and Micrococcus species have both proven the biodegradability of PVC based on the mean weight decrease, which was 0.873 for Bacillus species and 0.916 for Micrococcus species after a period of around six months. The FTIR study confirmed the breaking down by demonstrating the proximity of porosity and sensitivity of bacteria-infested polythene surfaces. Bacillus has a higher degradation potential than Micrococcus in our research.

Keywords

• polyvinyl chloride, degradation, bacillus species, micrococcus species, enrichment culture