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Solving the plastic dilemma: the fungal and bacterial biodegradability of polyurethanes
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This review examined the biodegradability of polyurethane by fungi and bacteria, identifying promising microbial species and enzymes capable of breaking down this widely used but environmentally persistent plastic polymer.
Polyurethane (PU) is a plastic polymer which, due to its various desirable characteristics, has been applied extensively in domestic, industrial and medical fields for the past 50 years. Subsequently, an increasing amount of PU waste is generated annually. PU, like many other plastics, is highly resistant to degradation and is a substantial threat to our environment. Currently PU wastes are handled through conventional disposal techniques such as landfill, incineration and recycling. Due to the many drawbacks of these techniques, a 'greener' alternative is necessary, and biodegradation appears to be the most promising option. Biodegradation has the potential to completely mineralise plastic waste or recover the input materials and better enable recycling. There are hurdles to overcome however, primarily the efficiency of the process and the presence of waste plastics with inherently different chemical structures. This review will focus on polyurethanes and their biodegradation, outlining the difficulty of degrading different versions of the same material and strategies for achieving more efficient biodegradation.
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Microbial and Enzymatic Biodegradation of Polyurethane: From Depolymerization to Monomer Valorization
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A review covered microbial and enzymatic degradation of polyurethane, summarizing the microorganisms and enzymes capable of breaking down this widely used plastic. Identifying effective biodegradation pathways is key to developing biological solutions for polyurethane waste management.
Biodegradation of Plastic by Fungi
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This review surveys fungi capable of biodegrading various types of plastic polymers, summarizing the enzymatic mechanisms and fungal species most effective at breaking down plastic waste. Researchers highlight fungal biodegradation as a promising but underexplored strategy for addressing plastic pollution, particularly for types of plastic that resist bacterial degradation.
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.
Microbial degradation of plastic-A brief review
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This review examined microbial degradation of plastics, surveying known plastic-degrading bacteria and fungi and the enzymes they produce, while acknowledging that degradation rates in natural environments remain extremely slow and that biotechnology approaches to accelerating biodegradation require further development.
Microbial Degradation of Plastics and Approaches to Make it More Efficient
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This review examines microbial degradation of plastics by bacteria and fungi, focusing on polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET, and discusses methods to make biodegradation more efficient as a potential solution to plastic pollution.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.