Field Implementation of Pseudomonas fluorescens for Bioremediation of Single-use Plastic Waste - a Biolayer in Landfill Liner System

Abstract

Single-use plastic materials are enormously used for packaging daily essentials and sanitary products. Fifteen such packaging materials were identified and collected. Twelve batches of samples were buried in Twelve pits. Pseudomonas fluorescens in dextrose medium was applied to six pits, and six pits were subjected to natural degradation to serve as a control. The study was conducted for a period of six months, and samples were recovered after each month. Recovered samples were subjected to a weight loss study and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis. FTIR analysis indicated a shift of the peak towards the weaker side, disappearance of the peak, and reduction in bond energy change in all samples bioremediated with microbial solutions. Reduction in bond energy change ranged from 0.15 to 45%.  Compared to weight loss techniques, FTIR analysis proved to be an effective method to measure biodegradation. CHNS analysis on the soil recovered from the pit proved that the bioaugmentation technique has raised the C/N ratio of the surrounding soil existing in the pit to 4.5%, which was absent initially. The results signify that this technique could enhance the process of bioremediation of non-recoverable plastic waste to a greater extent.