Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

A minireview on the bioremediative potential of microbial enzymes as solution to emerging microplastic pollution

This mini review explores the potential of microbial enzymes as a sustainable solution for degrading microplastics, discussing recent advances in identifying plastic-degrading enzymes and the challenges remaining for practical bioremediation applications.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 50 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 NIPES Journal of Science and Technology Research
Article Tier 2

Role of Various Microbes and Their Enzymatic Mechanisms for Biodegradation of Microplastics

This review examines the microbial enzymes and degradation mechanisms responsible for biodegrading microplastic polymers, covering bacterial, fungal, and algal systems that have evolved plastic-degrading capabilities over the past 150 years of plastic production. The authors survey the most promising enzymatic pathways and organisms for biotechnological application in microplastic remediation.

2024
Article Tier 2

New-Age Bioremediation Strategies to Combat Microplastic Pollution in the Environment

This review discusses emerging bioremediation strategies for addressing microplastic pollution, focusing on the use of microorganisms and their enzymes to break down plastic polymers. Researchers highlight that enzymes such as lipases, esterases, and oxidases show potential for depolymerizing various microplastic types. The study acknowledges challenges around substrate specificity, environmental conditions, and scalability that must be overcome to make enzymatic bioremediation viable at larger scales.

2024 ACS symposium series 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Degradation of Micro‐Plastics

This review examines the role of naturally occurring microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and algae in degrading microplastics, discussing the enzymatic mechanisms involved, the species identified as effective plastic degraders, and the prospects for applying microbial degradation pathways in bioremediation strategies.

2022 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Biodegradation of Plastics and Microplastics: Enzymatic Mechanisms, Biotechnological Applications, and Ecotoxicological Perspectives

This review examined the enzymatic mechanisms by which microorganisms degrade plastics and microplastics, covering biotechnological applications and ecotoxicological perspectives. Researchers found that certain bacterial and fungal enzymes can break down persistent plastic polymers, positioning microbial biodegradation as a promising sustainable remediation approach, though scalability and environmental deployment remain challenges.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Ecology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Application of Enzymes and Microbes in Bioremediation

This review covers recent advances in applying enzymes and microorganisms for bioremediation of environmental pollutants, including microplastics, with a focus on eco-friendly alternatives to conventional chemical or physical treatment methods. The authors highlight promising microbial and enzymatic strategies that reduce secondary pollution and offer cost-effective pathways for cleaning contaminated soil and water.

2024 African Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Research
Article Tier 2

Microbial Bioremediation of Microplastics

This review examines microbial bioremediation of microplastics, covering the bacteria, fungi, and algae known to degrade different plastic polymers and the enzymes involved. Biological degradation of microplastics offers a potentially scalable approach to reducing plastic contamination in soil and aquatic environments.

2023 BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS eBooks 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioremediation of Microplastics

This review summarized bioremediation strategies for microplastics, covering microbial degradation by bacteria, fungi, and algae along with enzyme-based approaches. Current limitations in degradation rates and the need for enhanced strains or enzymatic cocktails were discussed.

2024 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Evidence of Plastic Degrading Bacteria in Aquatic Environment

This review examines evidence for plastic-degrading bacteria in aquatic environments, summarizing identified microorganisms and their enzymatic mechanisms capable of breaking down plastic materials, and discussing the potential application of these organisms in bioremediation of plastic pollution.

2022 Journal of Biological and Allied Health Sciences
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Water and Environment Journal 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioremediation of Microplastics by Microorganisms: Trends, Challenges, and Perspectives

This review examines how microorganisms can be used to break down microplastic pollution in water and soil through bioremediation, a process considered more environmentally friendly than chemical alternatives. Researchers summarized the various microbial mechanisms involved, including enzymatic degradation and biofilm formation on plastic surfaces. While the approach shows promise as a green solution, the study notes that significant challenges remain in scaling these methods for real-world environmental cleanup.

2024 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Engineering a Solution: Recent Technological Advances in the Microbial Bioremediation of Microplastics

This review examines recent advances in microbial bioremediation of microplastics, highlighting the limitations of conventional treatments and presenting biological alternatives using bacteria, fungi, and algae capable of degrading plastic polymers. The authors discuss key enzymatic mechanisms and the potential for scaling microbial approaches as sustainable remediation tools for plastic pollution.

2025 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Chemosphere 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial enzyme power: Breaking down microplastics for a cleaner planet

This review examines how microbial enzymes produced by bacteria, fungi, and algae can break down and degrade microplastic polymers. The study suggests that enzymatic biodegradation represents a promising and more sustainable alternative to conventional microplastic removal methods, though further research is needed to improve enzyme efficiency and scalability.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials Plastics
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of microplastics: Advancement in the strategic approaches towards prevention of its accumulation and harmful effects

This review assessed advances in strategic approaches to microplastic biodegradation, covering microbial enzymes, biofilm-mediated degradation, and conditions that enhance breakdown rates, with the goal of identifying practical paths to reducing environmental microplastic accumulation.

2023 Chemosphere 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into Microbial Enzymatic Biodegradation of Plastics and Microplastics: Technological Updates

This review covers the latest advances in using microbial enzymes and biotechnology to break down plastic and microplastic waste. While some bacteria and fungi can partially degrade certain plastics, the process is slow and limited by factors like the plastic's chemical structure and crystallinity. The research points toward genetic engineering and genome editing as potential tools to speed up plastic degradation, though practical large-scale solutions are still in development.

2025 ACS Environmental Au 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics on the Environment and Human/Animal Health and Their Enzymatic Removal

This review covers the environmental and health impacts of microplastics across ecosystems and discusses enzymatic degradation approaches, examining how identified plastic-degrading enzymes could be engineered or deployed at scale to reduce MP persistence in the environment.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microbial plastic degradation: enzymes, pathways, challenges, and perspectives.

This review synthesizes current knowledge on microbial plastic degradation, covering the enzymes and metabolic pathways involved in breaking down major synthetic polymers, the challenges limiting efficient biodegradation, and perspectives for engineering improved microbial solutions to plastic waste.

2025 Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR
Article Tier 2

Biological Degradation of Plastics and Microplastics: A Recent Perspective on Associated Mechanisms and Influencing Factors

This review looks at how bacteria and their enzymes can break down different types of plastics and microplastics through biological processes. Understanding these natural degradation pathways is important because they could be harnessed to reduce the amount of persistent microplastic pollution that accumulates in the environment and eventually enters the human food chain.

2023 Microorganisms 320 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Enzymes Used in Bioremediation

This review covers microbial enzymes that can break down environmental pollutants, including some types of plastic polymers. Enzymes like laccases, hydrolases, and lipases show promise for degrading plastics and other harmful substances in the environment. While not focused solely on microplastics, the research suggests that enzyme-based bioremediation could eventually help reduce microplastic pollution in soil and water.

2021 Journal of Chemistry 265 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Microplastic: A Sustainable Approach

This review examines biological approaches to microplastic degradation, covering microorganisms and enzymes capable of breaking down common plastic polymers such as PET and polyethylene. Biodegradation could offer a sustainable path to reducing microplastic accumulation in soil, water, and marine environments.

2023 International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences
Article Tier 2

8 Recent endeavors in microbial remediation of micro- and nanoplastics

This book chapter reviews microbial strategies for breaking down micro- and nanoplastics, covering bacteria, fungi, algae, and their associated enzymes. While microbial degradation of plastics is still slow and limited, understanding these pathways is essential for developing practical bioremediation solutions.

2022 Emerging contaminants 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial strategies for effective microplastics biodegradation: Insights and innovations in environmental remediation

This review explores how bacteria and their enzymes can break down microplastics through oxidative degradation, offering a biological approach to cleaning up plastic pollution. The paper highlights innovative pretreatment methods that make plastics more accessible to microbial breakdown and positions microbial strategies as a promising frontline solution for removing microplastics from ecosystems before they can enter the food chain and affect human health.

2024 Environmental Research 28 citations