Accelerated biodegradation of polyethylene terephthalate by Thermobifida fusca cutinase mediated by Stenotrophomonas pavanii

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a general plastic that produces a significant amount of waste due to its non-biodagradable properties. We obtained four bacteria (Stenotrophomonas pavanii JWG-G1, Comamonas thiooxydans CG-1, Comamonas koreensis CG-2 and Fulvimonas soli GM-1) that utilize PET as a sole carbon source through a novel stepwise screening and verification strategy. PET films pretreated with S. pavanii JWG-G1 exhibited weight loss of 91.4% following subsequent degradation by Thermobifida fusca cutinase (TfC). S. pavanii JWG-G1 was able to colonize the PET surface and maintain high cell viability (over 50%) in biofilm, accelerating PET degradation. Compared with PET films with no pretreatment, pretreatment with S. pavanii JWG-G1 caused the PET surface to be significantly rougher with greater hydrophilicity (contact angle of 86.3 ± 2° vs. 96.6 ± 2°), providing better opportunities for TfC to contact and act on PET. Our study indicates that S. pavanii JWG-G1 could be used as a novel pretreatment for efficiently accelerating PET biodegradation by TfC.