Abstract

There has been a high rate of plastic waste accumulation, especially of synthetic polymers like polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate, which is a great environmental challenge. Waste management methods that are traditional have been proven inefficient and unsustainable. This paper examines the biodegradability of the extreme thermophilic bacteria found in high-temperature industrial air, and it aims to investigate the capacity of the bacteria in degrading PE, HDPE, and PET under high temperatures. The main aim of the research is to isolate and test extreme thermophilic bacterial strains for their ability to biodegrade common plastic polymers at temperatures higher than 60°C. Their enzyme activity and their degradation rates, particularly in harsh industrial and natural conditions, will also be studied in the research. Bacterial strains were further anthocultured and incubated with plastic samples in thermophilic conditions (60°C, 70°C, and 75°C) in industrial pipeline systems. To quantify the modifications in the chemical, plastic degradation was quantified as to weight loss, biofilm production, and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, which indicate that strain TPB02 and TPB05 exhibited maximal degradation of PE and HDPE at 2.3% - 4.0%. PET was unsuitable for degradation, with a weight loss of 0.5 % to 18%. The aggressive biofilm development was linked with an increased degree of the degradation capacity, particularly of PE and HDPE. The current paper puts an emphasis on the potential of extreme thermophilic bacteria, TPB02 and TPB05, as promising agents in the plastic waste bioremediation process, and more so at high temperatures. Their future research ought to be aimed at maximizing the environment of these strains and the enzymatic processes during plastic degradation.