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Biodegradation of conventional plastics: Candidate organisms and potential mechanisms
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This review surveys the organisms and biological mechanisms that show promise for breaking down conventional plastics, including bacteria, fungi, and insect larvae. Researchers cataloged enzymes and metabolic pathways that different species use to degrade common plastics like polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET. The study suggests that biodegradation could become a viable, environmentally friendly alternative to current plastic waste management approaches, though significant technical challenges remain.
With the benefits of coming at low-cost, being light-weight and having a high formability and durability, conventional plastics are widely used in both industry and daily life. However, because of their durability and extensive half-life with poor degradability and the low recycling rate, large amounts of plastic waste are accumulated in various environments, posing a significant threat to organisms and ecosystems. Compared to conventional physical and chemical degradation, biodegradation of plastic might become a promising and environmentally friendly solution for this problem. One of the aims of this review is to briefly describe the impact of plastics (especially microplastics). To facilitate rapid advancements in the area of plastic biodegradation, this paper provides a comprehensive review of the candidate organisms capable of biodegrading plastics and originating from four categories including natural microorganisms, artificially derived microorganisms, algae and animal organisms. In addition, the potential mechanism during plastic biodegradation and associated driving factors are summarized and discussed. Furthermore, the recent biotechnological progress (e.g. synthetic biology, systems biology, etc.) is highlighted as being key for future research. Finally, innovative research avenues for future studies are proposed. Concluding, our review is addressing the practical application of plastic biodegradation and the plastic pollution, thus necessitating more sustainable developments.
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Plastic biodegradation: Frontline microbes and their enzymes
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Researchers reviewed microbial biodegradation of synthetic plastics — including PE, PP, PS, and PET — cataloguing the insects, bacteria, and fungi capable of breaking down these polymers along with the enzymatic mechanisms involved, and outlining paths forward including metabolic pathway engineering and molecular cloning to improve degradation rates.
Microbes in Plastic Degradation
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This review examines how microorganisms can break down common plastics like polyethylene and PET through enzymatic processes. Researchers summarized the key bacterial and fungal species capable of degrading plastics and the conditions that affect degradation rates. The study highlights that while microbial plastic degradation is promising, natural breakdown is slow and more research is needed to make biological solutions practical at scale.
Plastics: Environmental and Biotechnological Perspectives on Microbial Degradation
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This review explores the environmental challenges of plastic accumulation and the potential for microorganisms to degrade various types of plastics. Researchers summarized recent discoveries of bacteria and fungi capable of breaking down common plastics like polyethylene and PET, though degradation rates remain slow. The study highlights microbial degradation as a promising but still developing biotechnological approach to addressing plastic pollution.
Biodegradation of Microplastic: A Sustainable Approach
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This review examines biological approaches to microplastic degradation, covering microorganisms and enzymes capable of breaking down common plastic polymers such as PET and polyethylene. Biodegradation could offer a sustainable path to reducing microplastic accumulation in soil, water, and marine environments.
Analysis of the application of microorganisms for the degradation of plastics
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This review examines the use of microorganisms to degrade plastic waste, covering the types of bacteria and fungi known to break down common polymers such as polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET. It discusses the enzymatic mechanisms involved and the potential for scaling up microbial plastic degradation as a waste management strategy.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.