LAUSR

Abstract In the natural environment, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) contamination is one of the major sources of pollution and creates the hazardous threat. Biodegradation is an eco-friendly approach to control such type of pollution and maintain the sustainable environment. The presence of nanoparticles influences the growth ability of polymer-degrading microbes. In the present study, SiO2 nanoparticles were employed to scrutinize their effect on polymer biodegradation efficiency. LDPE containing minimal salt medium supplemented with SiO2 nanoparticles (20 nm) at concentration of 0.01% w/v. Out of five bacterial strains, Bacillus sp. V8 and Pseudomonas sp. C 2 5 were found to be the most potential strains for polymer degradation. SiO2 nanoparticles improved growth profiling by shifting in lag phase, and it was also found effective to increase the biodegradation efficiency of bacterial strains by means of λ-max shifts, and Fourier transform infrared analysis revealed the formation or alteration of the chemical structure of the degraded polymer. The values of λ-max were shifted 217–227, 211–226, 209–224, 210–225, and 214–224 in the presence of Bacillus sp. strain V8, Pseudomonas sp. strain C 2 5, Pseudomonas sp. strain V1, Acinetobacter sp. strain V4, and Paracoccus sp. strain B1 4-, respectively. Fourier transform infrared analysis showed absorption frequencies of bacteria-treated polymers corresponding to 3049, 3275, 3527.8, 2196, and 3034 and confirmed the C–H stretching, O–H stretching, and C≡H stretching, respectively. The study signifies the bacteria–nanoparticles interactions that significantly influence the competence of polymer degradation.