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Marine Environmental Plastic Pollution: Mitigation by Microorganism Degradation and Recycling Valorization
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This review examines how microorganisms can degrade marine plastic pollution through enzymatic processes and how recycling technologies can recover value from plastic waste. Researchers surveyed various microbial species capable of breaking down common plastics and assessed the effectiveness of different recycling approaches. The study suggests that combining biological degradation with improved recycling infrastructure could help address the growing crisis of ocean plastic pollution.
Plastics are very useful materials and present numerous advantages in the daily life of individuals and society. However, plastics are accumulating in the environment and due to their low biodegradability rate, this problem will persist for centuries. Until recently, oceans were treated as places to dispose of litter, thus the persistent substances are causing serious pollution issues. Plastic and microplastic waste has a negative environmental, social, and economic impact, e.g., causing injury/death to marine organisms and entering the food chain, which leads to health problems. The development of solutions and methods to mitigate marine (micro)plastic pollution is in high demand. There is a knowledge gap in this field, reason why research on this thematic is increasing. Recent studies reported the biodegradation of some types of polymers using different bacteria, biofilm forming bacteria, bacterial consortia, and fungi. Biodegradation is influenced by several factors, from the type of microorganism to the type of polymers, their physicochemical properties, and the environment conditions (e.g., temperature, pH, UV radiation). Currently, green environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic made from renewable feedstocks are starting to enter the market. This review covers the period from 1964 to April 2020 and comprehensively gathers investigation on marine plastic and microplastic pollution, negative consequences of plastic use, and bioplastic production. It lists the most useful methods for plastic degradation and recycling valorization, including degradation mediated by microorganisms (biodegradation) and the methods used to detect and analyze the biodegradation.
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This review surveys biodegradation and biotechnological approaches for controlling plastic pollution in both terrestrial and marine environments, focusing on microbial and enzymatic pathways for plastic breakdown. Researchers identify promising organisms and highlight the gap between laboratory findings and scalable environmental application.
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Researchers reviewed plastic biodegradation in the marine environment, cataloguing microbial communities that colonize plastic surfaces and the enzymes they produce, while highlighting biotechnological strategies — including enzyme engineering and biofilm optimization — as necessary complements to physical and chemical approaches for reducing micro- and nanoplastic contamination.
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This review surveys microorganisms—bacteria, fungi, and other taxa—capable of degrading microplastics, examining the enzymes, metabolic pathways, and environmental conditions involved, and assessing the practical potential of harnessing these organisms for bioremediation of plastic pollution.
Microbial Degradation and Valorization of Plastic Wastes
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This review covers recent advances in microbial and enzymatic degradation of synthetic plastic wastes, summarizing the microorganisms and enzymes capable of attacking different polymer types and assessing the prospects for biological plastic waste treatment at scale.
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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.