Ideonella
| Ideonella | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Pseudomonadati |
| Phylum: | Pseudomonadota |
| Class: | Betaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Burkholderiales |
| Family: | Sphaerotilaceae |
| Genus: | Ideonella Malmqvist et al. 1994 |
| Type species | |
| Ideonella dechloratans | |
| Species | |
Ideonella is a genus of bacteria in the family Comamonadaceae.
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.
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.
The bacteria could also be used to reduce industrial waste during plastics manufacturing.