| dc.description.abstract | LDPE is a widely used type of plastic due to its low cost and versatility;
however, its resistance to degradation has led to serious environmental accumulation
issues. This study aims to determine the potential of fungi isolated from sediments in
the Belawan Mangrove Forest area to degrade LDPE plastic. Fungi were isolated from
three different locations; Sicanang Ecotourism, Coastal Area, and Brackish Waters,
then characterized and selected based on their ability to grow on media containing
plastic powder. The fungal ability to degrade LDPE was tested using 1×2 cm plastic
sheets placed on MSMA media and incubated for 60 days. Surface damage to the
plastic was observed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and potential
isolates were molecularly identified using the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS)
region. A total of 12 fungal isolates with varying morphologies were obtained; among
them, four isolates; PP03, PA02, PA04, and PA05 were capable of growing on media
containing plastic, both in the presence and absence of glucose. The degradation
ability of these four isolates on plastic sheets revealed that isolate PA05 showed the
highest degradation performance, reducing the plastic weight by 58.57%, with visible
surface alterations confirmed by SEM. Molecular identification indicated that isolate
PA05 is closely related to Fusarium verticillioides. These findings suggest the potential
application of these fungi as biodegradation agents for LDPE plastic. | en_US |
