[P006] Poster

1:00 PM - 1:50 PM JST(4:00 AM - 4:50 AM UTC)

[P03-402] Microbial Oxidative Transformation of Polyolefin Plastics by Enzymes Derived from Contaminated Freshwater Environments

○Eun-Woo Choi^1,3, Kil Koang Kwon^1,2,3, Dae-Hee Lee^1,3,4, Seung-Goo Lee^1,2,3,4 (1. Synthetic Biology Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea (Korea), 2. Korea Biofoundry, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea (Korea), 3. Department of Biosystems and Bioengineering, KRIBB School of Biotechnology, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea (Korea), 4. Graduate School of Engineering Biology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea (Korea))

Keywords:

Polyolefin plastics,Environmental microorganisms,Oxidative enzymes

Plastic pollution has become a major global environmental concern due to its persistence and long-term ecological impact. In particular, polyolefin plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene constitute a large fraction of plastic waste and are highly resistant to degradation because of their stable carbon–carbon backbone. As a result, they accumulate in the environment over extended periods. In this study, we explored environmentally contaminated freshwater ecosystems in South Korea as potential sources of microorganisms capable of interacting with polyolefin materials. These environments harbor diverse microbial communities that have adapted to polluted conditions. Through selective enrichment approaches using polyolefin-based substrates, microbial strains with potential plastic-interacting capabilities were isolated. Genomic and sequence-based analyses were employed to identify candidate enzymes potentially involved in oxidative modification of polyolefin substrates. The activity of these enzymes was evaluated using a combination of physicochemical and morphological analyses to monitor changes in polymer properties. Our results indicate that multiple enzymes derived from environmental microorganisms are capable of inducing oxidative modifications in polyolefin materials. These enzymes appear to involve redox-associated components and exhibit diverse catalytic behaviors, suggesting multiple possible mechanisms for polymer transformation. Overall, this study highlights the potential of environmental microbial resources as a source of oxidative enzymes for polyolefin modification and supports the development of biologically driven strategies for addressing persistent plastic waste.