Ideonella

Ideonella is a genus of Comamonadaceae bacteria.[3]

Ideonella
Scientific classification
Domain:
Bacteria
Phylum:
Proteobacteria
Class:
Betaproteobacteria
Order:
Burkholderiales
Family:
Comamonadaceae
Genus:
Ideonella

Malmqvist et al. 1994, gen. nov.[1]
Type species
Ideonella dechloratans[1]
Species

Applications

Ideonella sakaiensis
Main article: Ideonella sakaiensis

In 2016 I. sakaiensis was shown to degrade PET, a polymer widely used in food containers, bottles and synthetic fibers. Adhered to a low-grade PET film, the bacteria used two novel enzymes, PETase and MHETase, to decompose the plastic into two environmentally benign substances, which served as their main food source.[4]

A colony of I. sakaiensis could completely degrade a low-grade plastic water bottle in six weeks. Higher-grade PET products would require heating and cooling to weaken it before bacteria could start eating.[4]

The bacteria could also be used to reduce industrial waste during plastics manufacturing.[4]

References
  1. A.C. Parte. "Ideonella". Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  2. Sheu, SY; Chen, ZH; Young, CC; Chen, WM (February 2016). "Ideonella paludis sp. nov., isolated from a marsh". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 66 (2): 1052–1057. doi:10.1099/ijsem.0.000832. PMID 26651339.
  3. "Ideonella". Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  4. Long, Kat (March 10, 2016). "New Species of Bacteria Eats Plastic". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-03-11.


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