Isolation and characterization of a novel bacterium that promotes the degradation of poly(glycolic acid) by its extracellular esterase under thermophilic conditions

Poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) is widely utilized in the shale oil and gas industry owing to its biodegradable nature, as well as superior mechanical and barrier properties. However, PGA degradability is limited by environmental conditions such as temperature and pH, and using acids to optimize the degradation can have adverse environmental impact. Thus, it is essential to identify methods that can effectively promote the degradation of PGA under mild conditions, such as microbial degradation. In the present study, strain DB14, a bacterium that promotes PGA degradation, was isolated from drain water of a steam pipeline. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene of the bacterium revealed that it is mostly closely related to Geobacillus icigianus; however, it also differed from Geobacillus icigianus in several physiological properties. To investigate PGA degradation by strain DB14, a PGA film and disc were incubated with the strain. The residual weight of the PGA film (thickness: 170 μm) significantly reduced after incubation, whereas the decrease in the thickness of the PGA disc (thickness: 3 mm) was relatively small. The penetration of water, the bacterium, and the extracellular enzymes into the interior from the reaction-erosion front of the PGA disc may be inhibited by the high barrier performance of PGA. Strain DB14 was also found to change the pH of the surrounding environment to approximately 8–9. To investigate the effect of pH on PGA degradability, degradation tests with crude extracellular enzymes derived from strain DB14 were conducted in various buffers. The results showed that the degradation activity was highest at pH 8, which implied that DB14 efficiently maximized the hydrolytic capacity of its enzyme for degrading PGA. Thus, this study provides a basis for developing environmentally friendly technologies that can promote the degradation of PGA molding articles, especially those used in wellbores for oil and gas recovery.