Brevibacillus borstelensis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Bacteria |
Division: | Firmicutes |
Class: | Bacilli |
Order: | Bacillales |
Family: | Paenibacillaceae |
Genus: | Brevibacillus |
Species: | B. borstelensis |
Binomial name | |
Brevibacillus borstelensis (Shida et al. 1995) Shida et al. 1996 |
Brevibacillus borstelensis is a Gram-positive, aerobic, rod-shaped, endospore-forming bacterium of the genus Brevibacillus. The genome of several B. borstelensis strains have been sequenced.
Brevibacillus borstelensis strain 707 is a thermophilic strain capable of degrading and utilizing polyethylene as its sole source of carbon. This strain was shown to reduce the amount of polyethylene by 30% (30 days at 50 °C) and demonstrates that non-degradable plastics like polyethylene can be degraded under appropriate conditions.