Degradation of Polyethylene and Nylon by White Rot Fungi and its related enzymes

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We investigated whether the laccase-mediator system (LMS) with 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT) as a mediator could degrade high-molecular-weight polyethylene and nylon-66 membranes. The LMS markedly reduced the elongation and tensile strength of these membranes. After 3 days of treatment with the LMS, the Mw of polyethylene decreased from 242,000 to 28,300, and that of nylon-66 from 79,300 to 14,700. The LMS also decreased the polydispersity (Mw/Mn) of polyethylene and nylon-66. Furthermore, these reductions in elongation, tensile strength, and molecular weight were accompanied by morphological disintegration of the polyethylene and nylon-66 membranes. These results strongly suggest that the LMS with HBT can effectively degrade polyethylene and nylon-66.