Sources of microorganisms and enzymes for laboratory incubations

There are many different types of studies that are done to assess the biodegradation of fibers, textiles and films. These range from experiments that use undefined, natural microbial communities, to pure cultures of microorganisms, to highly purified enzymes that depolymerize macromolecules. Table 1.3 summarizes some of the different types of studies, begiiming with the broad diversity of microbial activities in communities from natural sources, to and ending with work using purified enzymes. 

Passive soii burial tests simply involve burying fibers or textiles in soil for some period of time and then examining them for signs of biodegradation. Peacock 1431 used this method to study the changes in linen, cotton, silk and wool over a 32-week incubation time. Modelli et al. (181 buried flax fibers in soil amended with ammonium phosphate to provide inorganic nutrients and CO2 production was used to monitor the biodegradation of these fibers. 

To isolate microbes that degrade a specific fiber or film 

To study the capability of a single species to degrade fibers or films 

To carry out biodegradation studies without viable microorganisms or purified enzymes 

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