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Biodegradation and bioremediation of plastics
Original title: Biodegradação e biorremediação de plásticos
Summary
This Portuguese-language review covers the biodegradation and bioremediation of plastics, explaining how most conventional plastics derive from fossil fuels and resist microbial breakdown, while bio-based alternatives show more promise. The review examines microbial and enzymatic pathways that may offer solutions to plastic waste accumulation.
Plastics have been a huge ecological problem around the world. Their use is widespread, ranging from general purpose household utensils to clothing, vehicle parts and computers. Furthermore, they are also present in almost all types of packages for food and hygiene. The raw materials for almost all types of plastic are crude oil and natural gas. In the refining process the oil is broken down into several types of materials, such as naphtha, gasoline, kerosene, lubricating oils, etc. The plastics are made from the substances that are extracted from naphtha. More precisely, plastics are made of macromolecules, which are characterized by multiple repetition of one or more simple chemical units joined together by chemical reactions called polymerization reactions. Due to the lack of proper handling of the wastes derived from plastics, the so-called micro-plastics are turning into the main villains of the planet. These particles are about 1 to 5 mm in Biodegradao e Biorremediao (nfase em bactrias e fungos)