LIT REVIEW

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Lit Review

Sahana Gilliss

Harrison High School

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Across all 5 articles, the common theme is using some type of bacteria to degrade plastic

in various forms. To support their hypotheses, the authors detail their procedure and results.

“Biodegradability of Polyethylene by Bacteria and Fungi from Dandora Dumpsite

Nairobi-Kenya”​ and “​Microbial Degradation of Low-Density Polyethylene and Synthesis of

Polyhydroxyalkanoate Polymers”​ are similar in procedure. To measure the degradation of the

plastics, the authors recorded the weight of the polyethylene, or plastic, sample before and after

the trial. They concluded that certain types of bacteria-namely, ​Bacillus subtilis, ​ ​Brevibacillus

borstelensis, a​ nd​ ​Micrococcus luteus-​ were effective because the plastic sample had a lower

mass than it began with. The authors of both “Biodegradability of Polyethylene” and “Microbial

Degradation” took their plastic samples from landfill soil. Some sources used similar materials.

For example, “Biodegradability of Polyethylene” and “Isolation and Characterization of

Polyester-Based Plastics-Degrading Bacteria from Compost Soils” used thin sheets of

polyethylene as their plastic.

Even though all three articles focused on ocean pollution and methods of solving it, the

sources differ in their findings, materials and procedures. Even though the concept of each

journal is the same, almost every source got a different result. “Biodegradability of

Polyethylene” found that “​bacteria belonging to genera ​Pseudomonas​, ​Bacillus​, ​Brevibacillus​,

Cellulosimicrobium​, and ​Lysinibacillus”​ were most effecti​ve (Muhonja, Makonde, et al. 2018, p.

1). ​“Isolation and Characterization of Polyester-Based Plastics-Degrading Bacteria from

Compost Soils” stated that bacteria “​belonging to the genera ​Actinomadura​, ​Streptomyces ​and

Laceyella​, demonstrated the best polyester- degrading activities” (Sriyapai, Chansiri, Sriyapai,
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2018, p. 1).​ “​Microbial degradation” ​used a low-density polyethylene powder instead of thin

sheets of plastic as most other sources had. “​Plastics Pollution: A New Common Concern of

Humankind?”​ differs from the other journals in that it provides information on a global concern

instead of an experiment. For example, in place of a hypothesis, the statement “The

transboundary movement of plastic marine litter and microplastics is becoming a major concern

as the durability of plastics means that they remain intact for a long time and spread throughout

the oceans” is used (Sidhu, Desai, 2018, pg 1). The authors did not conduct an experiment, but

wrote instead about the pressing concern of pollution.

Even though every peer-reviewed journal is different, these sources had a common cause;

the presence of plastics in our oceans, and how to get rid of them through scientific

experimentation. Reading other procedures and results can be very inspiring when conducting an

experiment of your own. More importantly, these scientists are working to solve a global issue.

Ocean pollution is an enormous problem. If we can find a way to break plastic down into more

easily retrieved pieces, then we can begin to remove the millions of tons already present. For

example, dispersing at least part of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch would allow the pieces to be

carried by the currents to our shores, where they can be retrieved and disposed of properly. Our

next step of this project, assuming we are successful, is finding a way to actually introduce our

bacteria into the ocean.

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References

Muhonja, C. N., Makonde, H., Magoma, G., & Imbuga, M. (2018).

Biodegradability of polyethylene by bacteria and fungi from Dandora dumpsite

Nairobi-Kenya. ​PLoS ONE​, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0198446

Sidhu, B. K., & Desai, B. H. (2018). Plastics Pollution: A New Common Concern

of Humankind? ​Environmental Policy & Law​, ​48​(5), 252–255.

https://doi.org/10.3233/EPL-180084

Sriyapai, P., Chansiri, K., & Sriyapai, T. (2018). Isolation and Characterization of

Polyester-Based Plastics-Degrading Bacteria from Compost Soils. ​Microbiology

(00262617),​ ​87(​ 2), 290–300. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261718020157

Zerhouni, K., Abbouni, B., Kanoun, K., Larbi Daouadji, K., Tifrit, A., Benahmed,

M., & Chaouche, T. M. (2018). Isolation and identification of low density

polythene-degrading bacteria from soil of North West of Algeria. ​South Asian Journal of

Experimental Biology​, ​8​(3), 76–82. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=135502879&site=ehos

t-live
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Montazer, Z., Habibi Najafi, M. B., & Levin, D. B. (2019). Microbial degradation

of low-density polyethylene and synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoate polymers. ​Canadian

Journal of Microbiology​, ​65​(3), 224. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjm-2018-0335