A team of researchers has successfully identified a suitable biodegrading bacterium for polypropylene (PP) by adding the biodegradation-promoting additive P-Life. Keio researchers involved in this project were Ayaka Futagi, a fourth-year student with the Department of Biosciences and Informatics at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Ying Huang, a researcher with the Keio Leading-edge Laboratory of Science and Technology, and Professor Kenji Miyamoto in the Keio University Faculty of Science and Technology. Other collaborators included Isao Toyama, president of P-Life Japan Inc., Yoshihito Abe, a representative of SI Jushisangyou, and Shuji Uchiyama of ITO EN, LTD.
This research could prove to be a vital step in microbial biodegradation efforts around polyolefins, a type of plastic that is especially difficult to degrade. The strains of bacteria that were unearthed in this study show great promise in breaking down polyolefin microplastics.
These findings were presented at the academic conference for the Molecular Biology Society of Japan held on November 28, 2024.
