Evidence for microbial-induced transformation of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) polymer blends by plastic-degrading bacteria.

Authors

Franciele Saorin, Tarcisio Camlofski, Jade Oliveira, Anderson Oliveira da Silva, Marcia Porto, Mariana Mattioli, Ricardo Krüger, Julianna Peixoto

Published in

Sustainable microbiology. Volume 3. Issue 3. Pages qvag027. Epub Jun 19, 2026.

Abstract

Poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS) and styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) are extensively used in cosmetic and industrial packaging due to their mechanical strength and durability. However, their intrinsic resistance to microbial and enzymatic attack underlies their long-term environmental persistence. To date, there is limited experimental evidence regarding the microbial transformation of ABS/SAN polymers. Here, we investigated whether four previously reported polyethylene-degrading bacterial strains-Comamonas sp., Delftia sp., Stenotrophomonas sp., and Alcaligenes sp.-can grow on an ABS/SAN blend and induce measurable physicochemical modifications. Each strain was incubated for 90 days in a minimal medium containing ABS/SAN as the sole added carbon and energy source. Bacterial growth, viability, and polymer modification were assessed by fluorescence microscopy, gravimetric analysis, and attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). All strains sustained active growth and remained viable throughout incubation. Stenotrophomonas sp. and Delftia sp. exhibited the strongest responses, with approximately 6-fold and 2.5-fold increases in viable cell counts and corresponding mass losses of 2.20% and 1.27%, respectively. ATR-FTIR profiles revealed strain-specific chemical changes on the polymer surface, including reductions in nitrile and carbonyl content consistent with partial oxidation and assimilation of ABS/SAN fragments. Comparative genomic analysis further identified genes encoding putative catabolic functions that may facilitate polymer transformation, such as nitrilases, amidases, phenylacetate and aromatic compound degradation pathways, redox-active enzymes, and efflux transporters. Together, these findings provide a novel experimental evidence that select bacterial strains can interact with and induce measurable modifications in ABS/SAN polymer blend, highlighting new perspectives for the biological degradation of recalcitrant synthetic plastics.

PMID:
42576883
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 11 Aug 2026.

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