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Biologics in synergy to degrade target micropollutants

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) 2026 Score: 40 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Fadia Victoria Cervantes Dominguez, Rafael Bargiela, Manuel Ferrer

Summary

This review describes how biological agents—bacteria, fungi, and engineered enzymes—can be combined to break down a range of environmental pollutants, including microplastics, chlorinated solvents, and pharmaceuticals. The emphasis on enzyme discovery and microbial consortia points toward scalable, low-emission alternatives to incineration or chemical treatment for tackling complex pollution mixtures.

Environmental pollution caused by thousands of ecotoxic chemicals poses a major global challenge. Traditional removal methods such as incineration generate significant CO₂ emissions, while chemical treatments are widely used but limited. Biological degradation has emerged as a sustainable alternative for pollutant removal and recycling.Novel enzyme discovery and engineering are central to advancing bioremediation strategies.Different environments, including industrial, agricultural, and aquatic systems, present distinct contamination profiles.Key pollutants include hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, microplastics, and pharmaceuticals.Recent advances enable the identification of degradation pathways from genomes and metagenomes.These approaches support ecosystem restoration, biodiversity protection, and a zero-pollution future.

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