ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF POLYTHENE BAGS DEGRADING BACTERIA FROM VISAKHAPATNAM DUMPING YARD

Most low density bags are made from polythene, a chemically inert compound consisting of carbon and hydrogen. Burning of this plastic waste and burying of the plastics releases harmful toxic material which is a major pollutant in environment. Degradation of waste plastics through microorganism is the alternative method to deal with such problems. In this present study low density polythene bags degrading bacteria were isolated from greater Visakhapatnam dumping yard. Out of 20 isolates, one isolate was selected, due to its significant activity in biodegradation of polymer. After 30 days of incubation the isolate resulted 28% in weight loss of polythene bags. SEM images of the treated polythene bags confirmed that the isolate is having significant biodegradation ability by forming holes on the surface. Increased biomass of the bacteria on polymer and decreased biomass in spent medium indicates the significant utilization of polythene, as carbon source. The degraded material contains 5x10(2) CFU/mL of bacteria. Morphology and biochemical tests confirmed that isolate belongs to Pseudomonas sp. This work reveals that the atmospheric conditions of Visakhapatnam supports the biodegradation of plastic materials by microorganisms to control pollution of terrestrial and marine regions in some extent.