Ideonella Sakaiensis

Ideonella Sakaiensis Latest news

Research has identified promising microbes like Ideonella sakaiensis, which can degrade PET plastic.

About Ideonella Sakaiensis

• It is a bacterium from the genus Ideonella and family Comamonadaceae.
• It is capable of breaking down and consuming the plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using it as both a carbon and energy source. 
• It was discovered by a group of researchers in Japan.
• It breaks PET into its (environmentally benign) building blocks. These can then be used as food by I. sakaiensis and other organisms.

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Characteristics of Ideonella Sakaiensis

• It is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile, non-sporing, non-pigment-producing, monotrichous bacterium.
• They typically measure about 1.2 to 1.5 μm in length and 0.6 to 0.8 μm in width, giving the appearance of a bacillus under the microscope. 
• It was initially discovered from PET-contaminated soil, suggesting its main habitat to be the environment, mainly soil with enriched plastic wastes.
• They are found to live in oxygen-rich moist soil and sewage sludge. 

What is Polyethylene Terephthalate?

• It is a condensation polymer of ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid.
• The by-product of the reaction is water so it is an example of condensation or step-growth polymerization. 
• PET Plastic is a thermoplastic synthetic substance which is malleable under heat and can be placed into nearly any shape.

Source: DTE