title: Biodegradation of polyethylene microplastics by the marine fungus Zalerion maritimum.
abstract: Plastic yearly production has surpassed the 300milliontons mark and recycling has all but failed in constituting a viable solution for the disposal of plastic waste. As these materials continue to accumulate in the environment, namely, in rivers and oceans, in the form of macro-, meso-, micro- and nanoplastics, it becomes of the utmost urgency to find new ways to curtail this environmental threat. Multiple efforts have been made to identify and isolate microorganisms capable of utilizing synthetic polymers and recent results point towards the viability of a solution for this problem based on the biodegradation of plastics resorting to selected microbial strains. Herein, the response of the fungus Zalerion maritimum to different times of exposition to polyethylene (PE) pellets, in a minimum growth medium, was evaluated, based on the quantified mass differences in both the fungus and the microplastic pellets used. Additionally, molecular changes were assessed through attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Results showed that, under the tested conditions, Z. maritimum is capable of utilizing PE, resulting in the decrease, in both mass and size, of the pellets. These results indicate that this naturally occurring fungus may actively contribute to the biodegradation of microplastics, requiring minimum nutrients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal. Electronic address: anapaco@ua.pt.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paço
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Kátia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: João P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Patrícia S M
authors.initials: PSM
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research & Green UP/CITAB-UP, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Arquiteto Lobão Vital, Apartado 2511, 4202-401 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Armando C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Teresa A P
authors.initials: TAP
authors.lastname: Rocha-Santos
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010969:Plastics / Q000737:chemistry*; D020959:Polyethylene / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D020959:Polyethylene
keywords: Biodegradation; FTIR-ATR; Fungi; Microplastics; NMR; Polyethylene; Zalerion maritimum