Soil bacterial strains able to grow on the surface of oxidized polyethylene film containing prooxidant additives

Twelve bacterial strains able to adsorb and grow on the surface of oxidized low-density polyethylene film containing prooxidant additives were isolated from three forest soils and subsequently identified. Most of them belonged to different genera of the proteobacteria group; however, three of the isolates were Rhodococcus strains. With the exception of one of the Rhodococcus strains, the isolates did not exhibit significant hydrophobicity of their cell surfaces. The study showed that bacteria capable of adhering to the surface of oxidized polyethylene, growing there and possibly biodegrading its oxidation products are not rare in forest soils and that they belong to different taxonomical groups common in soil environment. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.