It is estimated that over 14 million tonnes of plastic enter the oceans annually, where they fragment into microplastics and enter the food chain. This bioaccumulation affects entire food chains and threatens biodiversity, with studies linking microplastic ingestion to reduced survival rates in marine species. Though only 5% of global plastic waste is produced in Africa, the continent has inadequate recycling systems. The pervasive use of single-use plastics damages wildlife, clogs streams, and worsens environmental degradation. Therefore, there is considerable interest in exploiting bacteria to break down waste plastics and upcycle degradation products into useful products. However, the effectiveness of this process in anaerobic environments, which are common in many waste management systems like landfills and wastewater treatment systems, remains unexplored. This study investigated the effect of different pre-treatment methods (UV, thermal and chemical treatment) on the biodegradation rate of PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) plastics, one of the most commonly used single-use plastics, in microbial fuel cell-oriented anaerobic environments. The biodegradation rate was monitored by measuring changes in plastic mass and changes in surface structure using FTIR and analysing degradation by-products, and measuring electricity production in microbial fuel cells over time. The results indicate that UV-treated PET resulted in the highest reduction in plastic mass of 21.3% over a 40-day period, signifying biodegradation. This was accompanied by electricity generation. FTIR analysis revealed alterations in the surface structure, while HPLC and GC-MS analysis detected the formation of biodegradation products, including ethanol. The research provides new insights into how man-made plastics could be upcycled into useful products – electricity, in this case - paving the way for a more sustainable economy in the future. |