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Advancing plastic waste remediation: microbial enzyme-based degradation of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) for environmental sustainability
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Plastic waste breaks down into tiny particles called micro- and nanoplastics, which are now showing up in our water, food, and even our bodies, raising growing concerns about long-term health effects. This review pulls together research on using bacteria and their enzymes to break down these plastic particles into harmless substances, a cleaner, lower-energy alternative to current waste management methods. While early lab results are promising, scientists still need to solve major challenges before this approach can be used on a large scale, meaning practical solutions to reduce plastic pollution (and our exposure to it) are still likely years away.
The extensive use of plastic materials in daily life leads to the generation of vast amounts of plastic waste worldwide and poses serious environmental challenges. Most of the mismanaged plastic waste that end up in the environment are either extremely slow to degrade or entirely non-biodegradable. This has resulted in a phenomenon known as “white pollution,” which refers to the environmental pollution caused by the plastic products. Furthermore, plastic waste breaks down into smaller fragments known as micro-nano plastics (MNPs), which are identified as one of the top ten emerging environmental issues worldwide by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). MNPs impact overall ecosystem health, worsen environmental pollution, and disrupt ecological balance. Microbial enzymatic degradation is one of the most favourable options for MNP waste remediation due to its reduced carbon emissions, lower energy requirements, and environmental sustainability. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of microbial enzyme-based technologies for MNP biodegradation, critically examining the enzymatic pathways for polymers. The review further discusses advanced strategies to overcome these barriers, including microbial enzyme engineering (rational design and directed evolution), nanotechnology (enzyme immobilisation on nanoparticles), and the development of synthetic microbial consortia. Despite promising laboratory results, critical challenges in scalability, environmental enzyme stability, economic feasibility, and ecological risk assessment of engineered organisms remain. This work consolidates current knowledge to pave the way for innovative solutions, highlighting the need for multidisciplinary research to translate enzymatic degradation into effective, scalable strategies for sustainable plastic waste management and a circular economy.
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This review evaluates how fungi and their enzymes—including laccases, peroxidases, lipases, and cutinases—can degrade synthetic plastic polymers through hydrolytic and oxidative mechanisms, positioning fungal biotechnology as a promising sustainable approach to plastic waste remediation. Developing enzyme-based degradation pathways offers a potential strategy for breaking down microplastics already dispersed in the environment, where physical removal methods are largely ineffective.
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