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Engineering of Synthetic Microbial Consortia for Sustainable Management of Wastewater and Polyethylene Terephthalate: A Comprehensive Review
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This review examined the molecular mechanisms and engineering of synthetic microbial consortia (SMC) for bioremediation of both wastewater and PET plastic simultaneously, highlighting rational design approaches using bottom-up and top-down methods. The review assessed how CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and machine learning can optimize consortium composition and function, positioning SMC as a promising eco-friendly platform for tackling both plastic pollution and wastewater treatment challenges.
Plastic pollution and wastewater have become the leading environmental concerns due to their harmful effects on human health and pose a severe threat to the biosphere. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most widely used plastics worldwide, but it is resistant to natural degradation. Additionally, the complex pollutants in wastewater demand advanced remediation strategies. Although physicochemical methods are commonly used for PET degradation and wastewater treatment, bioremediation with microorganisms offers a greener and more eco-friendly alternative. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms and engineering of synthetic microbial consortia (SMC) for the bioremediation of wastewater and PET plastics. It examines the rational design of SMCs, utilizing both bottom-up and top-down methods, and emphasizes the importance of quorum sensing and metabolite cross-feeding in maintaining the stability and functionality of the consortium. Furthermore, the review critically assesses how CRISPR-Cas9 enables precise genome editing for robust pathway engineering and stress resilience, while Machine Learning provides predictive models to optimize consortium composition and function, thereby advancing SMC capabilities for both applications. These developments highlight SMC as a promising, eco-friendly, and efficient biological platform to tackle wastewater challenges and plastic pollution simultaneously.
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This review examines microbial approaches to plastic biodegradation, covering enzymes like PETases and laccases, genetic pathways, and biotechnological advances including CRISPR editing and synthetic biology. The authors argue that integrating enzyme engineering with microbial genomics and bioprocess design offers a scalable framework for sustainable plastic waste management.
Engineering a Cross-Feeding Synthetic Bacterial Consortium for Degrading Mixed PET and Nylon Monomers
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Researchers engineered a team of two bacterial species that work together to break down monomers from both PET and nylon plastics, two of the most common types found in mixed plastic waste. The bacteria developed a cooperative feeding relationship where each species handles different plastic components and helps neutralize toxic byproducts. While still at the laboratory stage, this synthetic biology approach could eventually help break down mixed plastic waste before it degrades into microplastics in the environment.
Harnessing bacterial power and omics technologies for sustainable plastic waste biodegradation
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This review catalogues key bacterial enzymes — including PETase, METase, esterases, and oxidoreductases — and the multi-omics tools used to uncover how microbes break down synthetic polymers such as PE, PET, PS, and PU. Understanding these enzymatic pathways is critical for developing scalable bioremediation strategies that could reduce plastic accumulation in environments where microplastics originate.
Biodegradation of Petrochemical Plastics by Microorganisms: Toward Sustainable Solutions for Plastic Pollution
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This review comprehensively examined microbial biodegradation of major petrochemical plastics including polyethylene, polypropylene, PET, and PVC by bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes, highlighting key degrading strains, enzymatic mechanisms, and advances in protein engineering and synthetic biology for enhanced efficiency. While scaling biodegradation to environmental conditions remains challenging due to variable temperature, pH, microbial competition, and potentially toxic intermediates, the review argued that microbial approaches represent promising eco-friendly pathways toward a biobased circular economy for plastic waste.
Towards Synthetic PETtrophy: Engineering Pseudomonas putida for concurrent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) monomer metabolism and PET hydrolase expression
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Researchers engineered the bacterium Pseudomonas putida to simultaneously break down PET plastic monomers and express a PET hydrolase enzyme, enabling one-step PET degradation and growth. The engineered strain successfully metabolized both TPA and EG monomers released during PET hydrolysis. This work advances the development of microbial biocatalysts for plastic recycling and upcycling.
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