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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Degradation of polypropylene and polystyrene micro plastics using novel microbial consortia
ClearMicrobial degradation of microplastics: Effectiveness, challenges, and sustainable solutions
This review summarizes current knowledge on microbial degradation of microplastics, examining the effectiveness of bacteria, fungi, and algae in breaking down various plastic polymers. Researchers found that while certain microorganisms show promising degradation capabilities, the process remains slow and faces challenges in real-world conditions. The study identifies key research gaps and potential strategies for developing more effective biological microplastic remediation approaches.
Biodegradation of Microplastics: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Future Prospects for Environmental Remediation
This review assesses microbial biodegradation as a strategy for reducing microplastic pollution, focusing on how bacteria and fungi break down common plastic polymers under various environmental conditions. Researchers found that while several microbial strains can degrade plastics like polyethylene and polystyrene, the process is generally slow and varies with temperature, pH, and available nutrients. The study identifies key challenges that must be overcome, including improving degradation rates, before biological approaches can be effective at environmental cleanup scales.
Recent advances in biodegradation of emerging contaminants - microplastics (MPs): Feasibility, mechanism, and future prospects
This review explores biological approaches to breaking down microplastics, including using bacteria, fungi, and enzymes. While some organisms can partially degrade certain plastic types, the process is slow and incomplete compared to the scale of pollution. The research is promising for future cleanup efforts but shows that biodegradation alone cannot yet solve the microplastic contamination problem.
Insights into the degradation of high-density polyethylene microplastics using microbial strains: Effect of process parameters, degradation kinetics and modeling
Researchers tested several microbial strains for their ability to break down high-density polyethylene microplastics and developed models to predict degradation rates. Certain bacteria and fungi showed measurable ability to deteriorate the plastic surface over weeks of exposure. The study contributes to the development of biological approaches for remediating microplastic pollution in the environment.
A novel bacterial combination for efficient degradation of polystyrene microplastics
Researchers tested three bacterial species, alone and in combinations, for their ability to break down polystyrene microplastics used as the sole food source. The combination of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Bacillus velezensis achieved the most impressive results, degrading 43.5 percent of the polystyrene in 60 days. The study suggests that carefully selected bacterial partnerships, rather than single species, may be more effective for biological degradation of plastic waste.
Elucidating polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics degradation mechanisms and metabolic pathways via pectin-biochar mediated fungal consortia
Researchers tested two novel fungal consortia (including Aspergillus niger and Cunninghamella elegans) combined with pectin-biochar beads to degrade polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics in water over 30 days, finding enhanced degradation rates compared to fungi alone with metabolic pathway analysis revealing oxidation as the primary breakdown mechanism.
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.
Removal of microplastic for a sustainable strategy by microbial biodegradation
Researchers reviewed which microorganisms — including Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and several fungi and algae species — show the greatest ability to break down microplastics, and highlighted how genetic engineering and combining multiple degradation methods could make biological plastic cleanup viable at larger scales.
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.
Microorganism-mediated biodegradation for effective management and/or removal of micro-plastics from the environment: a comprehensive review
This review summarizes research on using microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and algae to break down microplastics in the environment. While some organisms can partially degrade certain plastic types through fragmentation and chemical breakdown, no single microbe can fully eliminate microplastics. The review highlights that biological degradation is a promising but still limited approach to addressing microplastic pollution, and more research is needed to develop effective microbial cleanup strategies.
Microbe‐mediated biodegradation of microplastics from wastes
Researchers examined microbe-mediated biodegradation of microplastics from waste, reviewing bacterial and fungal species capable of breaking down various plastic polymers and discussing enzymatic mechanisms that could be harnessed for bioremediation strategies.
Breaking down the plastics paradox: polymer degrading microorganisms
This review examines microorganisms capable of degrading plastics, cataloging the bacteria and fungi discovered to break down common polymers like polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET. Identifying and harnessing plastic-degrading microbes could provide biological solutions to the accumulation of microplastics in the environment.
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.
Microbial degradation of plastic-A brief review
This review examined microbial degradation of plastics, surveying known plastic-degrading bacteria and fungi and the enzymes they produce, while acknowledging that degradation rates in natural environments remain extremely slow and that biotechnology approaches to accelerating biodegradation require further development.
Sustainable solution for microplastic removal: Sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortia
Researchers developed a two-stage approach using natural microbial communities to break down PET microplastics and neutralize their toxic byproducts. The first bacterial-fungal group achieved 28% degradation over 60 days, while a second group of bacteria further processed the breakdown products, reducing their toxicity. The study demonstrates that sequential microbial treatment could be a practical, eco-friendly strategy for addressing PET microplastic pollution.
Polystyrene Microplastics Degradation by Microbial Consortium From Jakarta Bay
Researchers isolated microbial consortia from Jakarta Bay that demonstrated the ability to degrade polystyrene microplastics. The bacterial communities, sourced from biofilm-covered plastic waste in the bay, showed measurable degradation of polystyrene over the study period. The findings suggest that naturally occurring marine microorganisms in polluted environments may have evolved capabilities that could be harnessed for bioremediation of plastic waste.
Application of green microbiology for microplastic remediation: Current progress and future perspectives
This review explores how microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, can be harnessed to break down microplastic pollution through environmentally friendly biodegradation approaches. Researchers summarized current progress in identifying plastic-degrading microbes and the enzymes they use. The study highlights the promise of green microbiology as a sustainable strategy for tackling microplastic contamination, while noting that significant technical challenges remain.
Harnessing Microorganisms for Microplastic Degradation: A Sustainable Approach to Mitigating Environmental Pollution
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.
Role of Novel Biological Agents in Plastic Degradation and Mitigation Approach towards Bioplastics
This review examines the role of novel biological agents — including bacteria, fungi, and engineered microorganisms — in degrading synthetic plastics and proposes bioplastics as a mitigation strategy to reduce persistent polymer accumulation in the environment. The authors outline the enzymatic mechanisms involved in breaking down major plastic types and discuss the potential of combining biological degradation with bioplastic adoption.
Microbial Degradation of Plastics and Approaches to Make it More Efficient
This review examines microbial degradation of plastics by bacteria and fungi, focusing on polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET, and discusses methods to make biodegradation more efficient as a potential solution to plastic pollution.
Biodegradation of microplastics: Better late than never
This review covers biological methods for breaking down microplastics, including using bacteria, fungi, and enzymes to degrade common plastic types like polyethylene, polypropylene, and PVC. While some microorganisms can partially break down these plastics, the process is slow and not yet effective enough for large-scale cleanup. The research shows promise for future solutions but highlights that biodegradation alone cannot yet address the scale of microplastic pollution threatening ecosystems and human health.
Time-resolved colonization patterns of bacteria and fungi on polystyrene microplastics in floodplain soils
Scientists studied how bacteria and fungi grow on tiny plastic particles (microplastics) buried in soil over several months. They found that these microbes form films on the plastic surfaces and some types can actually break down the plastic particles. This matters because microplastics are everywhere in our environment, and understanding how soil microbes interact with them could help us learn whether these plastics break down naturally or accumulate in ways that might affect our food and water.
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.
Microplastics Biodegradation by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus versicolor
Researchers tested the ability of two common fungi, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus versicolor, to break down microplastics made from polyethylene and polystyrene. After several weeks of incubation, both fungi showed measurable degradation of the plastic materials, confirmed by changes in surface structure and chemical composition. The study suggests that fungal bioremediation could be a promising natural approach for reducing microplastic pollution in the environment.