Microbial degradation technology presents a sustainable approach to address the environmental persistence of polyethylene (PE). In this study, a consortium of PE-degrading strains was isolated from sludge in the production wastewater of a PE-manufacturing plant. Among these strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosa SG01 demonstrated the highest cellular growth rate in culture medium, indicating its capacity to efficiently degrade PE and utilize it as the sole carbon source. Following treatment with SG01, the PE films exhibited a significant reduction in mass along with a clear decrease in surface contact angle, suggesting an improvement in hydrophilicity. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis detected the formation of new absorption bands on the treated PE films, corresponding to hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amide functional groups. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations further revealed the presence of erosion pits and network-like cracks on the film surface. This study confirms that Pseudomonas aeruginosa SG01 can effectively degrade PE and modify its surface properties, offering a novel microbial resource for the bioremediation of PE contamination.

Owing to their small size and surface hydrophobicity, microplastics (MPs) tend to act as vectors for various organic pollutants. However, in contrast to well-studied pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the sorption of benzene-series compounds on MPs has been seldom studied. To investigate the sorption process, the isotherms were determined for the sorption of three benzene-series sorbates by three polymers with different physicochemical properties. The linear sorption isotherms observed for PE indicate that sorbate uptake was dominated by partitioning into the bulk polymer. In contrast, the non-linear isotherms of PP and PVC imply that adsorption onto surfaces was the dominant mechanism. Sorption capacity of m-xylene and ethylbenzene increased in the following order: polyvinyl chloride (PVC) < polyethylene (PE) < polypropylene (PP). This order does not reflect the polarity or the crystallinity of the investigated MPs, suggesting the influence of additional factors (e.g., glass transition temperature, specific surface area) on the sorption of BTEX by MPs. In addition, the particle size and morphology of MPs are also factors affecting sorption capacity. The strong correlation between the sorption coefficients and sorbate hydrophobicity indicates that the hydrophobic interactions played a crucial role. Meanwhile, specific sorbate properties, such as electronic structure and molecular polarizability, are also significant factors that affect the sorption behaviors.