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Composting and green technologies for remediation of phthalate (PAE)-contaminated soil: Current status and future perspectives
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Phthalates are chemicals in plastics that can leach into soil and have been linked to hormone disruption in humans, so cleaning them up matters. This review pulls together existing research showing that composting, using microbes to naturally break down contaminants, can remove 25-100% of phthalates from contaminated soil, and works even better when combined with other eco-friendly techniques like biochar filters or specially chosen plants. While promising, scientists still need to figure out which microbes work best and whether these methods are practical and affordable at a larger scale.
Phthalate esters (PAEs) are hazardous organic compounds that are widely added to plastics to enhance their flexibility, temperature, and acidic tolerance. The increase in global consumption and the corresponding environmental pollution of PAEs has caused broad public concerns. As most PAEs accumulate in soil due to their high hydrophobicity, composting is a robust remediation technology for PAE-contaminated soil (efficiency 25%-100%), where microbial activity plays an important role. This review summarized the roles of the microbial community, biodegradation pathways, and specific enzymes involved in the PAE degradation. Also, other green technologies, including biochar adsorption, bioaugmentation, and phytoremediation, for PAE degradation were also presented, compared, and discussed. Composting combined with these technologies significantly enhanced removal efficiency; yet, the properties and roles of each bacterial strain in the degradation, upscaling, and economic feasibility should be clarified in future research.
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Researchers reviewed bioremediation approaches for removing phthalate plasticizers from contaminated environments, finding that microbial degradation — especially by bacteria and fungi capable of metabolizing these lipophilic compounds — offers a promising and cost-effective alternative to physicochemical treatment methods.
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Researchers found that compost contains significant macro- and microplastic contamination that transfers hazardous chemicals including phthalates to agricultural soil, with DEHP concentrations higher in compost-amended fields than untreated ones.
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Phthalate ester biodegradation in agricultural soil using exogenous bacterial consortium under fertilizer addition
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This study evaluated bacterial mixtures capable of breaking down phthalate esters, a class of endocrine-disrupting plastic additives found in agricultural soils. One bacterial consortium successfully degraded over 90% of DBP and 63% of DEHP within seven days, showing promise for bioremediation of phthalate-contaminated soils.
Biochar mitigates the postponed bioavailability and toxicity of phthalic acid esters in the soil
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