| Budget Amount *help |
¥13,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,800,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥3,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2001: ¥3,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2000: ¥3,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,100,000)
Fiscal Year 1999: ¥4,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,300,000)
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| Research Abstract |
Thermophiles degrading several kinds of plastics, mainly aliphatic polyesters, were successfully isolated from soils. The results are summarized by plastics as follows.
Aliphatic Polyesters : At first, a thermophile degrading poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) was isolated. It was not only the first thermopile degrading PLLA, but also the first microbe degrading PLLA except for Actinomycete. This strain was assumed to degrade PLLA endogenously and exogenously. As for the latter degradation, some enzymatic informations were obtained. Afterwards, another strain was isolated. Both of them were of Bacillaceae, but belonged to rather different line from each other, which suggests that PLA-degrading strains do not center on a particular genus. Moreover, a thermophile degrading poly (butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) (PBSA) was isolated. It was not only the first thermophile degrading PBSA, but also the second microbe degrading PBSA.
New Materials Based on Poly (Lactic Acid) : Many novel informations on the biodegradation of copolyesters of PLLA, poly (D-lactic acid) (PDLA), etc. were obtained through collaboration with "Chemical Synthesized Polyester Group" in this area. Especially, PDLA regarded as a nonbiodegradable material was found to be markedly biodegraded by the strain degrading PBSA, which is the first information on the microbial degradation of PDLA in the world.
Others : Thermophiles degrading poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) and nylon taken up as references for molecular design of biodegradable material were isolated for the first time in the world, respectively. As for the latter, two strains were obtained. One degraded nylon 12 and nylon 6, and another degraded nylon 12 and nylon 66. It is suggestive for nylon 12 to be degraded by both strains.
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