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The Potential of Plastic Degradation as Soil Remediator for Plants: a Review
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This study characterized microplastic contamination in commercial sea salt from major global producing nations, detecting particles across all geographic origins. Polymer types and concentrations varied by production method and source water quality, with traditionally harvested solar salts generally showing lower contamination than mechanically processed sea salt products.
The considerable accumulation of plastic wastes around the globe posed hazards to the environment. Thus, the potential of biological systems to degrade synthetic plastics is now a recent focus. Some insects, bacteria and fungi have been shown to ingest these polymers and convert them into environmentally friendly carbon compounds (Amobonye et al. 2021). Most microorganisms are used as a foundation of bioplastic production and also used for the decomposition of plastics. Earth is a home to promising microorganisms that have potent use and solution to the never ending plastic wastes. Yet, there is still limited study on the use of plastic compost as fertilizer and soil conditioner. Bioplastics applied in plants such as corn, soya bean, safflower, groundnut, sesame and sunflower present contrasting effects. Hence, there is a need to explore the varied effects of composted plastics to various kinds of plants. This review therefore presents potent plastic degrading microbes for the production of composted plastics as soil conditioner and fertilizer to crops.
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Biodegradation of Plastic Wastes in Soil: A Review on Testing and Evaluation Procedures
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This review critically examines the methods used to evaluate plastic biodegradation in soil environments, comparing standardized laboratory tests with field-based approaches. The authors identify significant inconsistencies across testing protocols that make it difficult to compare results or validate biodegradability claims for commercial plastics. Standardizing methodology is identified as a key priority for accurately assessing the environmental fate of biodegradable plastics.
Potential strategies for bioremediation of microplastic contaminated soil
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Researchers reviewed emerging bioremediation strategies for removing microplastics from contaminated soil, highlighting the roles of plants, root-zone microbes, soil animals like earthworms, and specialized bacteria and fungi that can use enzymes to break down plastic polymers into harmless compounds. While genetic engineering of microbes shows promise for accelerating degradation, the review notes that real-world application at scale still requires significant research and development.
Quest for Isolation and Identification of Plastic Degradingmicroorganisms: a Molecularapproach
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Researchers isolated soil microorganisms and tested their ability to biodegrade polyethylene and PVC plastics in vitro over one month, identifying both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial species with degradation capability. The study highlights microbial biodegradation as a low-cost, eco-friendly strategy to reduce plastic waste accumulation in the environment.
Interaction effects and mechanisms of microorganisms and microplastics in soil environment
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This review examines how microplastics and soil microorganisms interact: microplastics disrupt soil structure, reduce water retention, and impede plant root growth, while certain bacteria and fungi can colonize and partially degrade plastic particles through a multi-step process involving colonization, fragmentation, assimilation, and mineralization. Different polymer types (PE, PP, PS, PVC, PET) attract different microbial communities, and factors like temperature, moisture, and plastic additives affect degradation rates. Understanding these interactions is key to assessing long-term soil health impacts and developing microbial strategies to reduce plastic accumulation in agricultural soils.
Bioremediation of plastics by the help of microbial tool: A way for control of plastic pollution
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This review covers how bacteria and fungi can be used to break down plastic waste, including microplastics, through natural biological processes. Various microorganisms can degrade different types of plastics by producing specific enzymes, though the process is slow and depends on the plastic type and environmental conditions. While biological degradation shows promise for reducing microplastic pollution in soil and water, much more research is needed to make it effective enough to address the scale of the problem.
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