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Breaking down the plastics paradox: polymer degrading microorganisms
Summary
This review examines microorganisms capable of degrading plastics, cataloging the bacteria and fungi discovered to break down common polymers like polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET. Identifying and harnessing plastic-degrading microbes could provide biological solutions to the accumulation of microplastics in the environment.
Plastic's unique qualities, which make it appealing for daily usage, also endanger the sustainability of the global community.The main benefit of plastics is that they are sturdy, long-lasting, and non-reactive.As a result, the production of plastic garbage has exponentially increased, but due to its non-biodegradable nature, a threat to the environment is now identified on a global scale.The existing abiotic ways of getting rid of these wastes (incineration, landfilling, and recycling) are extremely expensive, unsustainable, and burdensome to the environment.In light of this, current attention has been drawn more to the possibilities for biological systems to break down plastics made from synthetic materials.A number of polymer-degrading microorganisms have been identified in various sources like garbage, mines, dumping yards, and other extreme environments.The microbial enzymes and their mode of action are also being investigated, in view to developing a recombinant microbial strain or enzyme for a sustainable approach to getting rid of plastic.The present review aims at studying all these efforts and draw a meaningful conclusion for breaking down the plastic paradox.
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