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Degradation of Plastics Waste and Its Effects on Biological Ecosystems: A Scientific Analysis and Comprehensive Review
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This comprehensive review examines plastic waste degradation pathways—physical, chemical, and microbial—and evaluates the potential of microorganisms capable of breaking down synthetic polymers as a biological remediation strategy. Advancing microbial biodegradation technologies is key to reducing the accumulation of microplastics in soil, water, and food systems that threaten ecosystems and human health.
Ever since previously several decades, there has been a severe problem with plastic waste disposal and contamination due to the improper use of plastics for a variety of applications, including packaging, transportation, manufacturing, and agriculture in rural as well as urban regions. It takes about 100 years for plastic bags to decompose in an effective manner. Plastic contributes to environmental degradation and exacerbates the issue of climate change not only because it exacerbates the waste management problem and land filling but also because its combustion releases carbon dioxide and dioxins into the atmosphere. It has been shown that the techniques currently used for the disposal of plastic are insufficient for the efficient management of plastic waste; as a result, there is a rising worry about the utilization of effective microorganisms that are intended for the biodegradation of synthetic polymers that are not biodegradable. Microbes have the capacity to degrade the majority of inorganic and organic materials, including lignin, starch, cellulose and hemicelluloses. Biodegradable polymers are engineered to breakdown quickly in the presence of microbes because of this ability. Within the scope of this review, topics covered include the current state of affairs, processes of degradation of plastics, methodologies for characterizing deteriorated polymers, and variables that impact the biodegradation of plastics.
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Researchers reviewed the biological and ecological impacts of plastic debris in aquatic ecosystems, finding that effects span from individual organisms to entire ecosystems, though establishing clear cause-and-effect relationships remains scientifically challenging given the complexity of real-world environments.
Occurrence and Ecotoxicological Effects of Microplastics on Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics — now present in the water we drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe — accumulate in and harm both aquatic and land-based ecosystems, highlighting the broad reach of plastic pollution as a threat to wildlife and potentially to human health.
Micro- and Nanoplastics in Environment: Degradation, Detection, and Ecological Impact
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Researchers review how micro- and nanoplastics degrade, spread, and accumulate across ecosystems, synthesizing evidence of ecological harm at multiple levels of the food chain and warning that their near-invisible size makes them especially difficult to monitor and regulate.
Micro and Nanoplastics in Ecosystems: Interrelated Sources, Risks, Pathways, Consequences, Mitigation, Challenges and Future Recommendations
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This review maps how micro- and nanoplastics travel between soil, water, and air, accumulate in food chains, and affect living organisms, while also examining mitigation strategies including microbial degradation and better waste management. Understanding these interconnected pathways is critical because plastics carry toxic chemical additives that amplify their health risks as they move through ecosystems.
Review on Microplastics as an Emerging Pollutant in Ecosystem and Its Impact: Integrated Approaches of Microplastic Biodegradation
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This review examines microplastics as a pervasive and slow-degrading pollutant in soils and waterways, exploring biodegradation approaches as a potential solution to break them down. Because microplastics can absorb other toxic chemicals and enter food chains, finding ways to eliminate them from the environment is critical for protecting both ecosystems and human health.
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