BIODIVERSITY OF MICROORGANISMS THAT DEGRADE BACTERIAL AND SYNTHETIC POLYESTERS

The biodiversity and occurrence in nature of bioplastic-degrading micr oorganisms are exemplified by the identification of 695 strains, isola ted from different environments, such as soils, composts, natural wate rs, and sludge, that are able to degrade the bacterial polyester poly( 3-hydroxybutyrate) in vitro. These microorganisms belong to at least 5 7 different taxa, including Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, streptomycetes, and moulds. The literature on the biodiversity of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate)-degrading microorganisms is reviewed. The degradin g abilities of 171 streptomycete strains were investigated on four dif ferent bacterial poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates), and the synthetic polyeste rs poly(epsilon-caprolactone) and BIONOLLE, and most of these strains degraded at least three different polymers.