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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Bacterial consortia based enhanced biofilm mediated synthetic plastic waste treatment
ClearToward sustainable plastic bioremediation using bacterial consortia from aquatic environments.
This study explored the biotechnological potential of native bacteria from diverse aquatic environments to biodegrade synthetic plastics and microplastics. Bacterial consortia isolated from contaminated sites showed promising plastic-degrading capabilities, pointing toward bioremediation strategies for plastic pollution.
Plastic-Degrading Microbial Consortia from a Wastewater Treatment Plant
Researchers isolated bacteria from a wastewater treatment plant that can break down common plastics including polyethylene and polystyrene, some of the hardest plastics to recycle. The microbial communities worked together to degrade the plastics more effectively than individual bacterial strains. While biological plastic degradation is still slow compared to the scale of pollution, identifying these bacteria is a step toward developing biotechnology solutions for plastic waste cleanup.
Construction and degradation characteristics of high-efficiency polyethylene degrading composite microbial community
Researchers engineered a high-efficiency polyethylene-degrading microbial consortium and characterized its degradation pathways and kinetics, finding substantial mass loss and chemical modification of polyethylene under optimized conditions. The consortium outperformed previously described single-species degraders, advancing the development of biological solutions for hard-to-recycle plastic waste.
Enrichment of native plastic‐associated biofilm communities to enhance polyester degrading activity
Researchers found that expanded polystyrene promotes high levels of bacterial biofilm formation and demonstrated that native plastic-associated microbial communities from environmental waste can be enriched to enhance polyester-degrading activity, offering potential for biological plastic remediation.
Synergistic functional activity of a landfill microbial consortium in a microplastic-enriched environment
Scientists studied soil bacteria from a decades-old landfill to understand how microbes adapt to high concentrations of polyethylene and PET microplastics. They found that multiple bacterial species work together to break down these plastics, with different roles for bacteria floating freely versus those attached to plastic surfaces. While biodegradation of microplastics is possible, it is slow, and understanding these natural processes could eventually help with cleanup efforts.
The plastic and microplastic waste menace and bacterial biodegradation for sustainable environmental clean-up a review
This review examined bacterial biodegradation of plastic and microplastic waste, covering key microbial species, enzymatic mechanisms, and biotechnological approaches being developed for sustainable environmental cleanup of plastic pollution.
Biofilm development as a factor driving the degradation of plasticised marine microplastics
Researchers investigated how natural marine biofilms drive the degradation of plasticized microplastics. The study found that biodegradation was dependent on polymer type, plasticizer type, and time, with polystyrene containing bisphenol A showing the most degradation, coinciding with increased abundance of putative biodegradative bacteria in the colonizing biofilm.
Strategies for biofilm optimization of plastic-degrading microorganisms and isolating biofilm formers from plastic-contaminated environments
This study investigated biofilm formation as a prerequisite for microbial plastic degradation, both optimizing biofilm formation in known plastic degraders and isolating novel biofilm formers from plastic-contaminated environments. Strategies to enhance surface colonization were evaluated as a practical step toward improving plastic biodegradation efficiency.
Microbial biodegradation of plastics: Challenges, opportunities, and a critical perspective
Researchers reviewed microbial biodegradation of synthetic plastics, summarizing the bacterial and fungal species, enzymes, and biochemical pathways capable of breaking down common polymers and arguing that combining microbial approaches with physicochemical methods offers the most promising eco-friendly route to plastic waste remediation.
Coexistence of specialist and generalist species within mixed plastic derivative-utilizing microbial communities
Researchers found that microbial communities breaking down plastic-derived chemicals are dominated by generalist bacteria like Rhodococcus, supported by specialist species targeting specific compounds. This division of labor could be exploited to design more effective microbial consortia for bioremediation of plastic pollution.
Recent Advancements and Mechanism of Plastics Biodegradation Promoted by Bacteria: A Key for Sustainable Remediation for Plastic Wastes
This review highlights recent discoveries of microbial enzymes capable of degrading various plastics, discussing bacterial biodegradation mechanisms as a sustainable remediation strategy for addressing accumulating plastic waste in landfills and water bodies.
Engineering a Cross-Feeding Synthetic Bacterial Consortium for Degrading Mixed PET and Nylon Monomers
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.
Periphytic biofilm: An innovative approach for biodegradation of microplastics
Researchers investigated periphytic biofilm as a method for biodegrading microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that biofilm-forming microorganisms were capable of colonizing and partially degrading plastic surfaces. The approach offers a low-cost, nature-based strategy for reducing microplastic pollution in waterways.
Structural and Functional Characteristics of Microplastic Associated Biofilms in Response to Temporal Dynamics and Polymer Types
Researchers found that biofilm structural and functional characteristics on microplastics differ significantly depending on polymer type (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene) and change over time, with implications for understanding microbial colonization and the plastisphere.
Development of tailored indigenous marine consortia for the degradation of naturally weathered polyethylene films
Researchers developed tailored indigenous marine bacterial consortia for polyethylene degradation, conducting a two-phase microcosm experiment that bioaugmented naturally weathered PE films with strains capable of using low-density polyethylene as a sole carbon source.
Microbial Allies in Plastic Degradation: Specific bacterial genera as universal plastic-degraders in various environments
Researchers identified specific bacterial genera capable of degrading multiple types of plastic across different environments including landfill soil, sewage sludge, and river water. They found that certain bacteria, such as Pseudomonas and Bacillus species, consistently appeared as effective plastic degraders regardless of the environment. The study suggests that these universal plastic-degrading bacteria could be valuable candidates for developing bioremediation strategies to address plastic pollution.
Divergent biofilm colonization on plastics in wastewater: Accelerated maturation on polyamide versus growth inhibition on biodegradable polymers
Researchers tracked 30-day biofilm formation on three plastic types in simulated wastewater, finding that polyamide promoted rapid, robust microbial colonization via nitrogen enrichment, while biodegradable PBAT/PLA plastic initially attracted bacteria but then inhibited sustained growth due to toxic leachates — demonstrating that plastic chemistry shapes plastisphere ecology in wastewater treatment.
Bacterial Abundance, Diversity and Activity During Long-Term Colonization of Non-biodegradable and Biodegradable Plastics in Seawater
Biofilm communities on conventional (polyethylene and polystyrene) and biodegradable plastics were tracked over 7 months of seawater immersion, finding highly abundant and diverse plastisphere communities on all polymer types but limited evidence of active plastic biodegradation under natural marine conditions.
Modulating biofilm can potentiate activity of novel plastic-degrading enzymes
Researchers discovered two new enzymes capable of breaking down PET plastic (the kind used in plastic bottles) and found that boosting a bacterium's ability to form a biofilm — a sticky coating that helps bacteria cling to surfaces — significantly increased how fast the enzymes could degrade plastic. This biofilm strategy could help accelerate the development of biological plastic-recycling systems for waste that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Critical evaluation of biodegradation studies on synthetic plastics through a systematic literature review
A systematic review of 145 studies identified the bacteria known to break down synthetic plastics, finding most belong to just a few bacterial groups and nearly half of studies focused on polyethylene. The review calls for standardized methods and more rigorous research to develop practical plastic biodegradation technologies.
Biotechnological model for ubiquitous mixed petroleum- and bio-based plastics degradation and upcycling into bacterial nanocellulose
Researchers demonstrated a biotechnological approach for breaking down mixed petroleum-based and bio-based plastic waste and converting it into valuable bacterial nanocellulose. The system used engineered microbial communities to simultaneously degrade different plastic types that are typically difficult to recycle together. The study presents a promising model for sustainable end-of-life management of mixed plastic waste streams, addressing a key challenge in reducing plastic pollution.
Development of plastic-degrading microbial consortia by induced selection in microcosms
Scientists used a technique called induced selection to develop communities of microorganisms capable of breaking down common plastics, including polyethylene and polystyrene. Over several rounds of enrichment in lab microcosms, the microbial groups that thrived showed measurable ability to degrade these plastics. The study suggests that harnessing naturally occurring soil microbes could offer a sustainable approach to reducing plastic pollution in the environment.
Microbial Consortia and Mixed Plastic Waste: Pangenomic Analysis Reveals Potential for Degradation of Multiple Plastic Types via Previously Identified PET Degrading Bacteria
Researchers used pangenomic and transcriptomic analysis of a five-bacterium PET-degrading consortium to identify over 200 plastic and plasticizer degradation-related genes, including a novel PETase enzyme EstB. The diverse carbon utilization capacity and active transcription of PET monomer metabolism genes suggest the consortium has potential for degrading mixed plastic waste.
Microbes mediated plastic degradation: A sustainable approach for environmental sustainability
This review examines microbially mediated plastic degradation as a sustainable environmental cleanup strategy, surveying bacterial and fungal species capable of breaking down common polymers and discussing enzymatic pathways and factors limiting practical biodegradation rates.