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- Marine bacteria and their role in polyethylene terephthalate biodeterioration and biofragmentationPublication . Ngonyani, Alois Mathew; Costa, Maria Clara; Marín Beltrán, IsabelMicroplastic (MP) pollution is a serious threat to the terrestrial and marine environment, posing a serious threat to all living beings. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find cheap, safe, and environmentally friendly solutions to alleviate the problem.This study aimed to assess the potential of a marine bacteria community and two of its isolates to biodegrade petroleum-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles and bio-based polyethylene terephthalate (BPET) plastic bags. Ultraviolet (UV) treated microplastic films (∼2 mm2), were exposed to the consortium of bacteria and isolates for 90 and 45 days, respectively. Negative (MP without inoculum) and positive (bacterial inoculum, without any MP) controls were used in parallel. During the incubation period, samples were taken every two weeks or monthly to analyse bacterial growth, the pH, and changes in the polymer functional groups using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy − Attenuated TotalReflectance (FTIR-ATR). The Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of microplastic was also measured at the beginning and at the end of the experiments. At the end of the incubation period, MP particles were subjected to scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Bacterial growth showed a statistically significant increase in the samples inoculated with marine bacteria as compared with the negative controls. The absorbance of peaks characteristic of the PET and BPET significantly decreased in the samples containing bacteria, and new peaks also appeared. Our results showed that marine bacteria have the potential to biodegrade petroleum-based and bio-based polyethylene terephthalate (BPET) MPs. These results further highlight the importance of rethinking bioplastics as an alternative to conventional plastics and how biological recycling can provide “green route” remedial solutions for PET microplastic polluted environment and consequently decreasing the environmental footprint of plastics.