Home⇛Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives⇛vol. 3 no. 3 (2025)

Degradation of Low-Density Polyethylene Using Laccase Produced by Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail) Cultured on Oryza sativa (Rice) Stems

Sebastian P. Panganiban | Gregorio C. Simangan | Mikaela Caitlin N. Leaño | Justin Rainnier M. Yarcia

Discipline: biology (non-specific)

 

Abstract:

Plastic pollution remains an environmental crisis both locally and globally, and the Philippines' insufficient waste management and significant dependence on single-use plastics generate 2.7 million tons of plastic waste annually. LDPE is commonly used in bottles, garbage bags, plastic gloves, and single-use containers that decompose for up to 1,000 years. Rice (Oryza sativa) stems are discarded as agricultural waste, containing cellulose and hemicellulose, which are essential to act as substrates for solid-state fermentation. Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) is a fungus capable of producing laccase that can break down chemical structures due to mono-electronic oxidation. This study tests the degrading ability of laccase produced using turkey tail in rice stems as a fermentation medium. Researchers buried LDPE strips (1 x 0.5) inches with initial weights of 0.63 grams and in quintuplicates per set-up, incubating them at 5, 10, and 15 days, respectively. Groups A, B, and C were laccase-treated in each incubation period, while Groups D, E, and F received no treatment. After incubation, LDPE strips were cleaned, weighed, and had a corresponding percentage weight loss of 12.30%, 18.26%, and 30.56% for experimental; 11.11%, 12.30%, and 14.68% were computed for negative control. One-way ANOVA, paired, and independent samples t-tests were performed, setting the alpha value to 0.05 to determine significant differences between set-ups. The ANOVA result showed that 15 days in the experimental set-up had the highest degradation compared to 5 and 10 days of groups, indicating significant differences with a p-value of 3.84E-06. T-tests revealed that Group C significantly differs from all groups, resulting in a p-value of 3.38E-05. Findings suggest that laccase produced by turkey tail cultured on rice stems degraded LDPE. All set-ups degraded LDPE, but the experimental groups demonstrated a higher degradation than the negative control groups. The degradation process is more efficient the longer it is incubated.



References:

  1. Adekunle, A. E., Zhang, C., Guo, C., & Liu, C. (2016). Laccase Production from Trametes versicolor in Solid-State Fermentation of Steam-Exploded Pretreated Cornstalk. Waste and Biomass Valorization, 8(1), 153–159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-016-9562-9t
  2. Albertsson, A., & Karlsson, S. (1988). The three stages in degradation of polymers—polyethylene as a model substance. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 35(5), 1289–1302. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.1988.070350515
  3. Avian Technologies LLC. (2020). Diffuse and regular reflectance measurements - Avian Technologies. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/mtv2nwzj
  4. Bains, A., & Chawla, P. (2020). In vitro bioactivity, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory efficacy of modified solvent evaporation assisted Trametes versicolor extract. 3 Biotech, 10(9). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-020-02397-w
  5. Banerjee, A., Chatterjee, K., & Madras, G. (2014). Enzymatic degradation of polymers: A brief review. Materials Science and Technology, 30(5), 567–573. https://doi.org/10.1179/1743284713y.0000000503
  6. Birhanli, E., & Yesilada, O. (2010). Enhanced production of laccase in repeated-batch cultures of Funalia trogii and Trametes versicolor. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 52(1), 33–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bej.2010.06.019
  7. Bläsing, M., & Amelung, W. (2017). Plastics in soil: Analytical methods and possible sources. The Science of the Total Environment, 612, 422–435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.086
  8. Chandrasekaran, R., & Abirami, G. (2021). Plastic Degrading Ability of Laccase Enzyme Isolated from Garbage Dumping Sites of Chennai. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/y9eej7s9
  9. De Naoum, K., & Schadegg, J. (2024). Low-Density polyethylene (LDPE). Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/2vdars4b
  10. Dong, C., Tiwari, A., Anisha, G. S., Chen, C., Singh, A., Haldar, D., Patel, A. K., & Singhania, R. R. (2023). Laccase: A potential biocatalyst for pollutant degradation. Environmental Pollution, 319, 120999. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.120999
  11. Guerberoff, G., & Camusso, C. (2019). Effect of laccase from Trametes versicolor on the oxidative stability of edible vegetable oils. Food Science and Human Wellness, 8(4), 356–361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fshw.2019.09.003
  12. Helen, A. S., Uche, E. C., & Hamid, F. S. (2017). Screening for Polypropylene Degradation Potential of Bacteria Isolated from Mangrove Ecosystems in Peninsular Malaysia. International Journal of Bioscience Biochemistry and Bioinformatics, 7(4), 245–251. https://doi.org/10.17706/ijbbb.2017.7.4.245-251
  13. Hoekstra, M., & Smith, M. L. (2023). Spectrophotometric-Based assay to quantify relative Enzyme-Mediated degradation of commercially available bioplastics. Polymers, 15(11), 2439. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112439
  14. Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A., Narayan, R., & Law, K. L. (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768–771. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1260352
  15. Kim, T. D., & Kim, K. K. (2019). Crystallographic studies of enzymes. Crystals, 10(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10010006
  16. Lai, O. (2024). 8 Shocking plastic pollution Statistics to know about. Retrieved from https://earth.org/plastic-pollution-statistics/
  17. Liu, Q., Luo, L., Wang, X., Shen, Z., & Zheng, L. (2017). Comprehensive analysis of rice laccase gene (OSLAC) family and ectopic expression of OSLAC10 enhances tolerance to Copper stress in arabidopsis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 18(2), 209. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18020209
  18. Makut, N. M. D., Ogu, N. C. J., Okey-Ndeche, N. N. F., & Obiekezie, N. S. O. (2023). Optimum conditions for the biodegradation of waste low-density polyethylene strips by bacteria isolated from parts of north central Nigeria. Open Access Research Journal of Science and Technology, 8(2), 001–009. https://doi.org/10.53022/oarjst.2023.8.2.0039
  19. Mayerhöfer, T. G., & Popp, J. (2018). Beer’s Law – Why absorbance depends (Almost) linearly on concentration. ChemPhysChem, 20(4), 511–515. https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.201801073
  20. Meijer, L. J. J., Van Emmerik, T., Van Der Ent, R., Schmidt, C., & Lebreton, L. (2021). More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean. Science Advances, 7(18). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz5803
  21. Mishra, R., Chavda, P., Kumar, R., Pandit, R., Joshi, M., Kumar, M., & Joshi, C. (2024). Exploring genetic landscape of low-density polyethylene degradation for sustainable troubleshooting of plastic pollution at landfills. Science of the Total Environment, 912, 168882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168882
  22. Moaje, M. (2024, April 22). DENR calls for collective action to reduce plastic wastes. Philippine News Agency. Retrieved from https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1223184
  23. Mordor Intelligence. (2024). Low Density Polyethylene Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2024 - 2029). Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/4xmmftfc
  24. Najafpour, G. (2013). Comparative studies on effect of pretreatment of rice husk for enzymatic digestibility and bioethanol production. International Journal of Engineering, 26(5 (B)). https://doi.org/10.5829/idosi.ije.2013.26.05b.01
  25. OECD. (2022). Plastic pollution is growing relentlessly as waste management and recycling fall short, says OECD. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/2p9tyd95
  26. Pandey, A. (2003). Solid-state fermentation. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 13(2–3), 81–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1369-703x(02)00121-3
  27. Pant, V. (2022). Importance of Observing the Progress Curve During Enzyme Assay in an Automated Clinical Chemistry Analyzer: A Case Study. EJIFCC, 33(1), 56–62.
  28. Perdani, M. S., Margaretha, G., Sahlan, M., & Hermansyah, H. (2020). Solid state fermentation method for production of laccase enzyme with bagasse, cornstalk and rice husk as substrates for adrenaline biosensor. Energy Reports, 6, 336–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2019.08.065
  29. Promotherapy. (2019). How long does plastic take to degrade? Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/58akx2fh
  30. Ramos, D. (2024). How Did the Philippines Become the World’s Biggest Ocean Plastic Polluter? Retrieved from https://earth.org/philippines-plastic/
  31. Roohi, N., Bano, K., Kuddus, M., Zaheer, M. R., Zia, Q., Khan, M. F., Ashraf, G. M., Gupta, A., & Aliev, G. (2017). Microbial enzymatic degradation of biodegradable plastics. Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, 18(5). https://doi.org/10.2174/1389201018666170523165742
  32. Rosado, M. J., Rencoret, J., Marques, G., Gutiérrez, A., & Del Río, J. C. (2021). Structural Characteristics of the Guaiacyl-Rich Lignins From Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Husks and Straw. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.640475
  33. Santo, M., Weitsman, R., & Sivan, A. (2012). The role of the copper-binding enzyme – laccase – in the biodegradation of polyethylene by the actinomycete Rhodococcus ruber. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 84, 204–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibiod.2012.03.001
  34. Scalenghe, R. (2018). Resource or waste? A perspective of plastics degradation in soil with a focus on end-of-life options. Heliyon, 4(12), e00941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00941
  35. Selke, S., Auras, R., Nguyen, T. A., Aguirre, E. C., Cheruvathur, R., & Liu, Y. (2015). Evaluation of Biodegradation-Promoting additives for plastics. Environmental Science & Technology, 49(6), 3769–3777. https://doi.org/10.1021/es504258u
  36. Senthivelan, T., Kanagaraj, J., Panda, R. C., & Narayani, T. (2019). Screening and production of a potential extracellular fungal laccase from Penicillium chrysogenum: Media optimization by response surface methodology (RSM) and central composite rotatable design (CCRD). Biotechnology Reports, 23, e00344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.btre.2019.e00344
  37. Shilpa, N., Basak, N., & Meena, S. S. (2022). Microbial biodegradation of plastics: Challenges, opportunities, and a critical perspective. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 16(12). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-022-1596-6
  38. Shraddha, N., Shekher, R., Sehgal, S., Kamthania, M., & Kumar, A. (2011). Laccase: Microbial sources, production, purification, and potential biotechnological applications. Enzyme Research, 2011, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.4061/2011/217861
  39. Shrestha, P., Joshi, B., Joshi, J., Malla, R., & Sreerama, L. (2016). Isolation and Physicochemical Characterization of Laccase from Ganoderma lucidum-CDBT1 Isolated from Its Native Habitat in Nepal. BioMed Research International, 2016, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/3238909
  40. Swetha, C., & Shivaprasad, P. (2019). Extraction and Purification of Laccases from Rice Stems. BIO-PROTOCOL, 9(7). https://doi.org/10.21769/bioprotoc.3208
  41. Temporiti, M. E. E., Nicola, L., Nielsen, E., & Tosi, S. (2022). Fungal enzymes involved in plastics biodegradation. Microorganisms, 10(6), 1180. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10061180 
  42. Xia, Y., Xia, L., & Lin, X. (2023). Laccase‐Based Self‐Amplifying catalytic system enables efficient antibiotic degradation for sustainable environmental remediation. Advanced Science, 10(21). https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202300210

Tools


Copyright © 2025  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic