Isolation of a <i>Bacillus</i> sp. strain HYX-38 and its degradation characteristics on PBAT

XU Zhe; TIAN Yongqiang

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202609020

Volume 44 Issue 9

Sep. 2026

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XU Zhe, TIAN Yongqiang. Isolation of a Bacillus sp. strain HYX-38 and its degradation characteristics on PBAT[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(9): 193-201. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609020

Citation:

XU Zhe, TIAN Yongqiang. Isolation of a Bacillus sp. strain HYX-38 and its degradation characteristics on PBAT[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(9): 193-201. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609020

XU Zhe, TIAN Yongqiang. Isolation of a Bacillus sp. strain HYX-38 and its degradation characteristics on PBAT[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(9): 193-201. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609020

Citation:

XU Zhe, TIAN Yongqiang. Isolation of a Bacillus sp. strain HYX-38 and its degradation characteristics on PBAT[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(9): 193-201. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609020

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Isolation of a Bacillus sp. strain HYX-38 and its degradation characteristics on PBAT

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609020

XU Zhe,
TIAN Yongqiang^,

College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China

Received Date: 2025-06-12
Available Online: 2026-11-05

Abstract

Abstract

The extensive release of plastic waste into the environment has caused severe pollution. The development and application of biodegradable plastics， such as poly（butylene adipate-co-terephthalate）（PBAT） represent a critical measure to address plastic pollution. However， the actual degradation process of biodegradable plastics in natural environments often proceeds slowly and incompletely， still carrying risks of environmental accumulation and microplastic formation. Therefore， rapid and complete degradation of PBAT and other biodegradable plastics is necessary， and there is an urgent need to develop efficient degradation technologies to mitigate their ecotoxicity. Microbial action is an important part of plastic degradation， and the discovery of highly efficient plastic-degrading strains is the key to the technology involved. A bacterial strain capable of efficiently degrading PBAT plastic was isolated from PBAT-contaminated farmland soil. It was identified as Bacillus sp. HYX-38 through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Degradation efficiency assays under various conditions revealed that strain HYX-38 efficiently degrades PBAT in nutrient-rich environments without being subject to carbon catabolite repression. When cultivated in 100 mL of TSB medium at 30 ℃， strain HYX-38 exhibited its highest degradation rate within the first 10 days， averaging 3.41 mg/d， with a degradation rate of 17.03%， demonstrating superior performance compared to other known PBAT-degrading strains. Enzyme activity assays confirmed that strain HYX-38 produces protease， lipase， amylase， and catalase. Characterizations using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）， gel permeation chromatography （GPC）， Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）， thermogravimetric analysis （TGA）， and X-ray diffraction （XRD） revealed significant surface cracks， lower molecular weight， structural alterations， reduced thermal stability， and decreased crystallinity in the degraded PBAT film， confirming substantial degradation. The LC-MS results indicated that strain HYX-38 degraded the PBAT film into its monomers： 1，4-butanediol， adipic acid， and terephthalic acid. Whole-genome sequencing identified multiple protein-coding genes in the strain HYX-38， which show high similarity to known plastic-degrading enzyme genes， suggesting that these enzymes could serve as potential targets for future engineering applications. The highly efficient PBAT-degrading strain HYX-38 enriches the microbial resources for plastic degradation， contributes significantly to addressing plastic pollution， and promotes the rational utilization of biodegradable plastics.
- poly（butylene adipate-co-terephthalate）（PBAT）,
- Bacillus,
- microorganisms,
- plastic degradation

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References(31)

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