| Ideonella | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Pseudomonadati |
| Phylum: | Pseudomonadota |
| Class: | Betaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Burkholderiales |
| Family: | Comamonadaceae |
| Genus: | Ideonella Malmqvist et al. 19941 |
| Type species | |
| Ideonella dechloratans1 | |
| Species | |
Ideonella is a genus of bacteria in the family Comamonadaceae.3
Applications
Ideonella sakaiensis
In 2016 I. sakaiensis was shown to degrade PET, a polymer widely used in food containers, bottles and synthetic fibers. Adhered to a low-grade PET film, the bacteria used two novel enzymes, PETase and MHETase, to decompose the plastic into two environmentally benign substances, which served as their main food source.4
A colony of I. sakaiensis could completely degrade a low-grade plastic water bottle in six weeks. Higher-grade PET products would require heating and cooling to weaken it before bacteria could start eating.4
The bacteria could also be used to reduce industrial waste during plastics manufacturing.4
References
References
- A.C. Parte. "Ideonella". Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- Sheu, SY; Chen, ZH; Young, CC; Chen, WM (February 2016). "Ideonella paludis sp. nov., isolated from a marsh". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 66 (2): 1052–1057. doi:10.1099/ijsem.0.000832. PMID 26651339.
- "Ideonella". Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- Long, Kat (March 10, 2016). "New Species of Bacteria Eats Plastic". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
Data related to Ideonella at Wikispecies