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Employment of thermophilic bacteria for biodegradation of synthetic and natural polymers
Csölle, Eduard ; Sedlář, Karel (referee) ; Obruča, Stanislav (advisor)
This bachelor’s thesis deals with the employment of thermophilic bacterium Schlegelella thermodepolymerans for biodegradation of selected polymers, namely poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), polylactic acid (PLA), and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). The theoretical part focuses on the properties and origin of these bioplastics, the characteristics of the studied bacteria, and the general course of the biodegradation process. The experimental part discusses the twenty-day cultivation of three tested strains in the presence of the mentioned polymers and the subsequent evaluation of the degradation rate of these materials. The greatest increase in biomass content was observed by spectrophotometry for strain DSM 15344 when cultured on PHB. With blank samples (without polymers), it was shown that for significant growth, the bacteria had to truly utilize the polymers present. Gravimetric analysis of biomass content confirmed that PHB was the most suitable substrate for cultivation. The highest mass losses were recorded for PHB and were around 30 % across all three strains. For strain LMG 21645, the mass has decreased by almost 33 %. The weight losses of PLA and PBAT were considerably lower. Nevertheless, the most significant molecular weight loss was observed by SEC-MALS for PLA, reaching approximately 80 % for strain DSM 15264. SEM analysis of the polymer surface confirmed that the biodegradation of PHB occurs by enzymatic surface erosion. In contrast, the PLA and PBAT samples did not show any signs of biodegradation.
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