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The potential of plastic biodegradation by basidial fungi and actinobacteria (review)
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This review examines the underexplored potential of basidiomycete fungi and actinobacteria to biodegrade common plastics including polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, PET, and polyurethane. Basidial fungi's powerful enzymatic systems and hydrophobin biosurfactants, alongside thermophilic actinobacteria genera, show promising but largely untapped capacity for sustainable plastic waste management.
With the ever-increasing production and consumption of plastics, inadequate management of plastic waste and its improper disposal pose a significant threat to the environment, affecting all forms of life, natural ecosystems and economies worldwide. In the face of this threat the search for alternative environmentally friendly solutions such as biodegradation instead of traditional recycling is of paramount importance. Currently knowledge about the mechanisms and effectiveness of plastics biodegradation is focused mainly on such groups of microorganisms as Gram-negative bacteria and fungi ascomycetes. The aim of this review is to highlight the ideas available in the literature about the potential decomposition of the most common plastic waste (polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate and polyurethane) as a result of biotic processes. Basidial fungi and actinobacteria have not yet found practical application in the technologies of processing and utilization of synthetic plastics. We discuss the ability of specific representatives of the two above taxonomic groups to decompose various synthetic polymers. The unique strategies of basidial fungi such as a powerful enzymatic system, the ability to absorb and produce natural biosurfactants – hydrophobins, allowed fungi to use plastics as a source of carbon and energy are considered. The possible contribution of mainly thermophilic actinobacteria of the genera Thermobifida, Thermoactinomyces, Thermomonospora, Saccharomonospora, Actinomadura, Microbispora and Streptomyces in improving the plastic waste disposal in order to create effective and sustainable plastic management practices has been characterized.
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