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Current Progress and Mechanisms of Microplastic Degradation in the Environment
Summary
Plastic waste keeps breaking down into tiny particles called microplastics, which end up in our food, water, and air—and can even carry harmful chemicals and heavy metals along with them into our bodies. This review rounds up the science on different ways to break down microplastics faster (using sunlight, chemicals, or even bacteria and enzymes), pointing toward possible solutions for cleaning up this pollution before it accumulates further in the environment and, potentially, in us. While the technologies are still developing, understanding how to destroy microplastics matters for reducing our long-term exposure to them.
Plastics, which are beneficial to modern society, have become among the most hazardous pollutants due to excessive use and mismanagement, and their accumulation is causing enormous challenges to ecosystems worldwide. Globally, in 2025, more than 70 million tonnes of plastic waste will enter landfills and oceans, where it slowly degrades and is converted into more hazardous microplastics (MPs) or nanoplastics (NPs). MPs are widely present in the food chain, soil, water, and air and are difficult to degrade in the environment. As these particles can absorb heavy metals and other organic pollutants, they become more hazardous. This review critically examines the mechanisms of various degradation methods, such as chemical degradation, photodegradation, advanced oxidation process, and microbial/enzymatic degradation. These findings will support the formulation/implementation of effective policies and technologies to reduce microplastic contamination, a major environmental threat of the 21st century.