Just another background...

Degradation of plastic within the environment is an important biogeochemical process worth pondering upon due to the various effects it has. In our environment, degradation of plastic has proven to be a potential threat due to its ability to be digested by fish, which later are consumed by us. In addition to that, Pseudomonas stutzeri is a microbe which is found in water and soil, and is known to cause sever illnesses to immunocompromised individuals.

Pseudomonas stutzeri is a gram-positive aerobic bacteria which forms a very slimy biofilm. This biofilm nature of its aids it in adhesion to certain types of objects, such as plastics. Moreover, Pseudomonas stutzeri biofilm characteristics is what causes breakdown of plastic over time.

            Regardless of its severe consequences, our society is not aware of the damage it causes directly or indirectly. Thus, we as a research group decided to come up with a strategic plan to find out if a specific plastic can be degraded by a particular Pseudomonas species. That way, with reliable results we will have, we can educate our society as much as possible to hopefully decrease the effects that are caused by our actions.

            Of all the variety of plastic provided to us, we had decided to settle for plastic number 3, 4, 5 and 6. Plastic number 3, also known as PVC, is commonly found in building and houses for water pipes. Plastic number 4, also known as low-density polyethylene (LPDE), is used to make garbage bags, squeeze bottles, etc. Plastic number 5, also known as Polypropylene (PP), is used to make lunch boxes, straws, etc. Finally, plastic number 6, also known as Polystyrene (PS) or extended- Polystyrene (PS-E), which is commonly and widely used to make Styrofoam.

Currently, we I am observing how much degradation could there be on plastic number 3, commonly known as PVC, which will be treated with Pseudomonas stutzeri to observe the rate of change on a weekly basis.

Pseudomonas Stutzeri, like other Pseudomonas spp, causes illness when ingested by means mentioned above. Moreover, it has been shown that most of the diseases caused by Pseudomonas stutzeri are infective endocarditis, vertebral osteomyelitis, and meningitis, which are often observed in immunocompromised individuals. Also, Pseudomonas stutzeri has been found in six patients undergoing hemolysis. They had frequent symptoms of fever, shaking chills, nausea, and vomiting. After careful considerations and methods to figure out the cause, it is now known that the infection was caused by the deionized water that is combined with the liquid concentrate to form the dialysate. Therefore, we can conclude from the latter statement that Pseudomonas stutzeri can be found in water systems found at home or in hospitals; which could compromise our health as well.

            From all the research done thus far, we have found different causes and effects from Pseudomonas as a whole. However, our research is focused solely on identifying the relationship between the plastic type and the specific bacteria that could grow on the plastic. This understanding could help us determine which plastics to replace so that a certain bacteria would not affect us as it grows on the plastic. For example, we could analyze the type of bacteria that could grow on plastics in healthcare facilities so that we can change the types of plastics that are available there.  Moreover, by educating our society about the effects of improper disposal of plastic has on us, we could decrease the amount of illness recorded due to this.

 Finally, after all the research done, I have hypothesized that there will be a significant change in degradation of plastic number 3, also known as PVC, when exposed to Pseudomonas stutzeri.