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Emerging technologies for assessing the occurrence, fate, effects, and remediation of plastics in the environment
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Researchers reviewed emerging technologies for detecting, tracking, and remediating plastic pollution across environmental compartments, covering advanced spectroscopic and chromatographic tools alongside novel remediation strategies.
Plastic pollution and contamination originates from raw material handling, polymerization, compounding, and fabrication, contributing to environmental accumulation. Advanced analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared, Raman spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, HPLC, and thermal analysis (thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry) enable precise detection of plastic pollutants. The environmental impact of plastic pollution is significant, altering soil microbial communities, reducing aeration, and disrupting nutrient cycling. In plants, plastic exposure interferes with root growth, nutrient uptake, and photosynthesis, while in humans, microplastics contribute to oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, and potential carcinogenicity. Ecosystem-level effects include biodiversity loss and trophic disruptions. Plastic degradation occurs through physical (UV radiation, fragmentation), chemical (hydrolysis, oxidation), and biological means. Microbial degradation involves enzymes such as laccases, cutinases, and PETases, influenced by moisture, pH, temperature, molecular weight, polymer structure, additives, and biosurfactants. Artificial intelligence is emerging as a tool for optimizing degradation and valorization strategies. Thermochemical valorization methods such as pyrolysis, gasification, catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, and solvent-based depolymerization enable plastic-to-fuel conversion. Omics technologies-genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics-provide insights into microbial plastic degradation mechanisms. Future research should focus on enhancing biocatalysts, AI-driven valorization, and integrative omics approaches for sustainable plastic waste management and environmental remediation.
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