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Rethinking plastics through microbial biodegradation and circular economy innovation – A review
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Researchers reviewed emerging biotechnological strategies — including bacterial, fungal, and enzymatic breakdown of plastics — as key tools for transitioning from a throwaway plastic economy to a circular one where plastics are biodegraded or recycled rather than discarded. They identify scalability and regulatory gaps as the main barriers to deploying these solutions at the global level needed to address plastic pollution.
The global plastic crisis has evolved into a complex socio-environmental emergency, driven by unsustainable production patterns, weak waste management infrastructure, and the ecological persistence of synthetic polymers. Microplastics and nanoplastics now permeate terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, posing chemical and biological risks across trophic levels. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of emerging biotechnological and circular strategies for plastic sustainability, with a particular focus on microbial ecosystems and enzymatic innovation. Abiotic and biotic degradation pathways are examined, detailing how environmental factors such as photodegradation, thermo-oxidation, and hydrolysis facilitate microbial colonization and polymer fragmentation. Key microbial taxa—including bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and algae—are evaluated for their roles in enzymatic depolymerization, while consortia-based models demonstrate synergistic potential in degrading complex plastic mixtures. Enzymes such as polyethylene terephthalate hydrolase, mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate hydrolase, laccases, and peroxidases are discussed alongside computational and synthetic biology approaches for enhancing their catalytic performance. The review further integrates these biological innovations into broader systems-based frameworks, exploring hybrid degradation technologies, bio-based valorization, and alignment with circular economy principles. Policy landscapes and public engagement mechanisms are assessed, along with international efforts to harmonize action through multilateral frameworks and sustainable development goals. Critical gaps in scalability, regulatory coherence, and lifecycle optimization are identified, and a roadmap is proposed for transitioning from linear to bio-integrated plastic economies. Through interdisciplinary synthesis, this review positions microbial and enzymatic biodegradation not as isolated tools, but as keystones in a globally coordinated response to plastic pollution and environmental resilience.
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Researchers reviewed how microorganisms and their enzymes can break down different types of plastic waste through both aerobic (oxygen-using) and anaerobic (oxygen-free) pathways. The review highlights biotechnological tools like genetic modification that could accelerate plastic biodegradation, supporting a shift toward a circular economy.
Microbial and Enzymatic Strategies for Plastic Waste Biodegradation: Mechanistic Pathways, Environmental Challenges, and Emerging Biotechnological Strategies
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This review paper rounds up current science on using bacteria, fungi, and their enzymes to break down plastic waste instead of relying on burning or burying it, which can create toxic byproducts. This matters because plastics that don't fully break down often end up as microplastics in our water, food, and even our bodies, so finding safer, more effective ways to biodegrade plastic could help reduce that long-term exposure. The authors note that while lab results are promising, scaling these methods up for real-world use is still a major challenge.
Toward Microbial Recycling and Upcycling of Plastics: Prospects and Challenges
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This review examines the prospects and challenges of using microorganisms to recycle and upcycle plastic waste, assessing the current state of microbial degradation research across major polymer types. The authors identify metabolic engineering and synthetic biology as key tools needed to make biological plastic recycling economically viable at scale.
Can polymer-degrading microorganisms solve the bottleneck of plastics' environmental challenges?
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This review asks whether plastic-degrading microorganisms can meaningfully address the global plastic pollution problem. Researchers surveyed known biodegradation pathways and found that while promising microbes and enzymes exist, real-world applications remain limited by slow degradation rates and narrow substrate specificity. They highlight how omics and synthetic biology tools could accelerate development of practical bioremediation solutions.
Cutting-edge developments in plastic biodegradation and upcycling via engineering approaches
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This review examines how engineering approaches from synthetic biology and metabolic engineering can improve both the breakdown and upcycling of plastic waste. Researchers found that various microorganisms and their enzymes can degrade plastics and convert the resulting monomers into valuable products like biosurfactants, bioplastics, and biochemicals. The study suggests that optimizing microbial pathways and using hybrid chemo-biological approaches could help build a more sustainable circular plastic economy.
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