STUDIES ON THE DEGRADATION OF POLYETHYLENE BY PSELIDOMONAS SP.SONIL NANDA, G. SUDEEP KUMAR, SOHINI MUKHERJEE, R. SREEJITH, SRINWANTI BHATTACHARYA, SWARNA SHANKAR, R. VIDHYA AND S.S.N. SOMASUNDARAMAbstract Interest in the microbial biodegradation of polyethylene as intensified in recent years as humanity strives to find sustainable ways to cleanup contaminated environments. Hence, this paper, investigates the ability of Pseudomonas in degrading polyethylene. The weight of the polyethylene before incubation was compared with the weight after incubation. The final weights of the polyethylene recovered after incubation, were compared to that of their initial weights before incubation and the percent of degradation was evaluated. On an average, the percentage of degradation was 31 in 3 weeks of incubation at 37°C. With the decrease in weight after incubation, it was concluded that the active enzymes produced by Pseudomonas caused changes in the physical weight of polyethylene. The significance of the results is discussed.
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