title: New insight into biodegradation of polylactide (PLA)/clay nanocomposites using molecular ecological techniques.
abstract: Novel molecular ecological techniques were used to study changes in microbial community structure and population during degradation of polylactide (PLA)/organically modified layered silicates (OMLS) nanocomposites. Cloned gene sequences belonging to members of the phyla Actinobacteria and Ascomycota comprized the most dominant groups of microorganisms during biodegradation of PLA/OMLS nanocomposites. Due to their numerical abundance, members of these microbial groups are likely to play an important role during biodegradation process. This paper presents new insights into the biodegradability of PLA/OMLS nanocomposites and highlights the importance of using novel molecular ecological techniques for in situ identification of new microorganisms involved in biodegradation of polymeric materials.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, Gate 5, Normanby Rd, Clayton South, Victoria 3168, Australia.
authors.forename: Parveen
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sangwan
authors.forename: Cameron
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Way
authors.forename: Dong-Yang
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D039903:Actinobacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D001546:Bentonite / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011091:Polyesters / Q000378:metabolism*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D011091:Polyesters; D001546:Bentonite; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; C033616:poly(lactide)