Publicação
Fungal-mediated biodegradation of microplastics: Evaluation of degradative potential and pathogenic traits
| Resumo: | The increasing accumulation of plastics and micro-plastics in the environment represents a major global concern due to their persistence, widespread distribu-tion, and potential impact on ecosystems and human health1. Microbial biodegradation has emerged as a promising and sustainable strategy for plastic reme-diation, particularly through the use of fungi with en-zymatic degradative capacity. This project aims to test the biodegradative potential of different fungal spe-cies against the widely used microplastics Polypropyl-ene, Polystyrene and Poly(ehylene-co-cinyl acetate), under optimized growth conditions. The fungi, Mucor spp, Rhizopus spp, Scedosporium spp. and Nigrospora spp. were specifically selected because they have nev-er previously been investigated as plastic degraders, thereby offering the opportunity to identify novel bio-degradation capabilities. Aspergillus flavus will also be included as a control, since this species has recognized degradative capacity against some types of microplas-tics2.To identify growth conditions that maximize bio-degradation, preliminary studies using Scedosporiumspp. were performed under different glucose concen-trations and medium replacement intervals. Low-glu-cose media combined with fortnightly medium renew-al promoted the highest degradative activity and were selected for the subsequent biodegradation assays. Biodegradation will be assessed through microplastic mass loss determination, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy, allow-ing the identification of structural and chemical mod-ifications on microplastic surfaces. Fungal adherence to microplastics will be evaluated by microscopic ob-servation and surface colonization analysis, providing insight into biofilm formation and the role of fungal activity in the degradation process. Additionally, fun-gal pathogenicity-related traits, including biofilm for-mation and antifungal susceptibility, will be evaluated to determine whether long-term exposure to micro-plastics influences fungal virulence. This study may support the development of sustainable plastic bio-degradation strategies and improve understanding of fungal adaptation to plastic-rich environments. |
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| Autores principais: | Barbosa, Joel |
| Outros Autores: | Fernandes, Virgínia Cruz; Rufo, João; Vieira, Mónica; Prudêncio, Cristina; Pereira, Clara; Fernandes, Virgínia; Cavaleiro Rufo, João; Almeida Vieira, Mónica Andreia; Prudêncio, Cristina |
| Assunto: | Microplastics Fungi Sustainability Biodegradation |
| Ano: | 2026 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | documento de conferência |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Instituto Politécnico do Porto |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico do Porto |
| Resumo: | The increasing accumulation of plastics and micro-plastics in the environment represents a major global concern due to their persistence, widespread distribu-tion, and potential impact on ecosystems and human health1. Microbial biodegradation has emerged as a promising and sustainable strategy for plastic reme-diation, particularly through the use of fungi with en-zymatic degradative capacity. This project aims to test the biodegradative potential of different fungal spe-cies against the widely used microplastics Polypropyl-ene, Polystyrene and Poly(ehylene-co-cinyl acetate), under optimized growth conditions. The fungi, Mucor spp, Rhizopus spp, Scedosporium spp. and Nigrospora spp. were specifically selected because they have nev-er previously been investigated as plastic degraders, thereby offering the opportunity to identify novel bio-degradation capabilities. Aspergillus flavus will also be included as a control, since this species has recognized degradative capacity against some types of microplas-tics2.To identify growth conditions that maximize bio-degradation, preliminary studies using Scedosporiumspp. were performed under different glucose concen-trations and medium replacement intervals. Low-glu-cose media combined with fortnightly medium renew-al promoted the highest degradative activity and were selected for the subsequent biodegradation assays. Biodegradation will be assessed through microplastic mass loss determination, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy, allow-ing the identification of structural and chemical mod-ifications on microplastic surfaces. Fungal adherence to microplastics will be evaluated by microscopic ob-servation and surface colonization analysis, providing insight into biofilm formation and the role of fungal activity in the degradation process. Additionally, fun-gal pathogenicity-related traits, including biofilm for-mation and antifungal susceptibility, will be evaluated to determine whether long-term exposure to micro-plastics influences fungal virulence. This study may support the development of sustainable plastic bio-degradation strategies and improve understanding of fungal adaptation to plastic-rich environments. |
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Atividades financiadas
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