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The Polymer-Plastisphere-Function Nexus Links to Divergent Biodegradation of Microplastics During Composting.
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Researchers found a fundamental dichotomy in microplastic biodegradation during thermophilic composting, where biodegradable polymers (PLA, PBS, PBAT) underwent rapid degradation driven by selective microbial community assembly shaped by polymer chemistry, while conventional plastics resisted breakdown despite similar composting conditions.
Microplastic (MP) biodegradation is critical for mitigating plastic pollution, yet the ecological mechanisms linking polymer properties to plastisphere microbiome assembly and catalytic function remain unclear. Using thermophilic composting as an accelerated model, we reveal a fundamental dichotomy in which biodegradable MPs (BMPs: polylactic acid [PLA] > polybutylene succinate [PBS] > poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) [PBAT]) undergo rapid thermophilic degradation shaped by stronger environmental filtering of diverse degraders, whereas conventional MPs (CMPs: low-density polyethylene [LDPE]) exhibit delayed degradation with greater stochastic influence. Metagenomics uncovered 489 degradative genes predominantly distributed across uncultured taxa, enabling reconstruction of polymer-specific multi-enzyme pathways, supported by isolating 32 potential degraders (31 candidate novel). PLA/PBS degradation primarily relied on thermophilic-phase PLA depolymerase and cutinase, PBAT on late-stage polyesterase and PETase, and LDPE on alkane monooxygenase and laccase. Statistical modelling showed BMP degradation strongly associated with plastisphere-physicochemical interactions (> 90% variance), whereas CMP appeared primarily constrained by material properties (e.g., degrader succession in PLA, enrichment in PBS/PBAT, and high molecular weight in LDPE). Functionally dominant degraders (1.9% of total microbes) were estimated to contribute 52.4%-80.6% of biodegradation efficiency. This work elucidates the core polymer-plastisphere-functional nexus underlying MP biodegradation during composting, providing a predictive framework and microbial resource for targeted remediation.
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Deciphering the Mechanisms Shaping the Plastisphere Microbiota in Soil
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Researchers characterized bacterial communities colonizing biodegradable and conventional microplastics in soil, finding that polymer type and biodegradability shaped distinct plastisphere communities, with deterministic processes playing a stronger role in community assembly than in surrounding soil.
Compost microbiomes in the plastisphere: microplastic fate and trade-offs in organic waste valorisation
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Researchers reviewed how plastisphere microbiomes colonizing plastics in compost systems can partially degrade or fragment polymers under thermophilic conditions, while conventional plastics persist and potentially shift toward nanoplastics—creating a sustainability paradox where composting reduces organic waste but may simultaneously disseminate microplastics into amended agricultural soils, disrupting soil ecology and plant performance.
Characterization of bacterial communities responsible for bioplastics degradation during the thermophilic and the maturation phases of composting
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Researchers tracked bacterial community succession on four bioplastic types during lab-scale composting, finding that plastisphere microbial profiles diverged substantially from bulk compost and were partly polymer-specific, with genera such as Streptomyces and Pseudomonas enriched as potential bioplastic degraders particularly during the thermophilic phase.
Marine biodegradation mechanism of biodegradable plastics revealed by plastisphere analysis
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Researchers analyzed the marine biodegradation mechanisms of two biodegradable plastics, PHBV and PBSA, by examining plastisphere functional gene assemblages, finding that differences in microbial community composition on their surfaces help explain why these polyesters degrade at substantially different rates in seawater.
The plastisphere of biodegradable and conventional microplastics from residues exhibit distinct microbial structure, network and function in plastic-mulching farmland
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Researchers compared the bacterial communities that colonize biodegradable and conventional plastic microplastics in farmland soil. They found that biodegradable plastics (PBAT/PLA) and conventional polyethylene each attracted distinct microbial communities with different functions, including bacteria that could degrade plastics or cycle nutrients. The results suggest that even biodegradable plastics create unique microbial environments in soil that may affect soil health and function in unexpected ways.
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