https://www.cas.cn/syky/202510/t20251027_5086302.shtml

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.analchem.5c04596

A research team from the CAS Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research has proposed a strategy for rapid and quantitative assessment of plastic degradation ability of bacterial strains based on electrochemical sensing, which was used to rapidly identify strains capable of degrading polystyrene. The study combined a polymer membrane ion-selective electrode with magnetic separation technology, utilizing the release of indicator Ca2+ ions caused by plastic degradation by the strain. By sensitively detecting changes in indicator ion concentration, the strain’s plastic degradation efficiency was electrochemically monitored.

The setup is based on a magnetic composite material with a core-shell structure. The material consists of a plastic coating, an indicator ion-releasing layer, and a magnetic bead carrier. The plastic coating is used to identify the degradation performance of the microorganism being tested. Degradation creates pores on the surface of the magnetic composite material, exposing the indicator ion-releasing layer. The indicator ion-releasing layer is composed of Ca₃(PO₄)₂, which releases Ca₂+ as indicator ions. Magnetic separation technology allows for medium solution conversion, preventing interference from complex components in the culture medium with subsequent calcium ion-selective electrode detection.

The results of this study were consistent with those of traditional gravimetric methods, but the assessment cycle was drastically shortened