Bioremediation of Soil Microplastics: Categories and Mechanisms

Humans have depended on plastics for a prolonged period. However, post-use plastic waste or the involuntary disposal of plastics in the environment can contaminate soil with fragments of small plastics known as microplastics (MPs). MPs threaten both the soil and human health. Recently, scientists have attempted to reduce soil MP pollution using methods approved by policy makers. However, among these strategies, several studies have suggested promising inexpensive and environmentally friendly technologies such as bioremediation, which cleanses MPs from the soil environment with microorganisms, such as bacteria, algae, and fungi, by degradation. However, little attention has been paid to the classification, mechanism, and factors affecting the efficiency of MP cleanup via bioremediation in most of these studies. Therefore, in this chapter, various types of bioremediation, mechanisms, and factors that affect bioremediation are discussed as promising techniques to cleanup MPs from soil. In addition, certain aspects of bioremediation that should be considered in future studies to ensure maximum bioremediation capacity are highlighted.