Fig. 6

a Average cfu/ml 96 h post inoculation for P. aeruginosa RR1 g-A5 grown using depolymerized polyethylene as the sole carbon source. Multiple concentrations (12.5 and 25 g/L) and morphologies of the depolymerized polyethylene were tested, with 5 g/L NH₄Cl supplied as the nitrogen source. Error bars represent standard deviations from the mean values of three replicates. b Depiction of the “Imperfect Coating” preparation method. Samples of the depolymerization polyethylene were added to flasks and gently melted to form a coating on the bottom. Upon solidification, the coatings were agitated to create an imperfect coating coverage. Sections of coating that were removed were added back into the flask as small boluses to maintain consistency in the total amount of sample per liter of culture