Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic degradation methods and corresponding degradation mechanism: Research status and future perspectives

This review summarizes current methods for degrading microplastics, including advanced oxidation processes, biodegradation, and thermal treatments, along with their underlying mechanisms. The study highlights that while several approaches show promise in laboratory settings, challenges remain in scaling these technologies for real-world environmental remediation of microplastic pollution.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 313 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms and the Engineering Approaches for the Degradation of Microplastics

This review provided a comprehensive overview of current microplastic degradation methods, including mechanical, chemical, photocatalytic, and biological approaches, evaluating engineering strategies for efficient microplastic treatment and removal.

2021 ACS ES&T Engineering 172 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent trends in degradation of microplastics in the environment: A state-of-the-art review

This review examines different methods for breaking down microplastics in the environment, including biological approaches using microorganisms and chemical techniques like advanced oxidation. Each method has trade-offs in effectiveness and scalability, and better standardized testing is needed to move these solutions from the lab to real-world cleanup of microplastic pollution that threatens ecosystems and human health.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 182 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Systematic Review of Degradation Processes for Microplastics: Progress and Prospects

This systematic review summarizes existing research on different methods for breaking down microplastics, including photodegradation, chemical oxidation, and biological approaches. The study evaluates how effective each technique is at destroying microplastics and discusses which methods show the most promise for real-world application. Finding effective ways to degrade microplastics is critical because these particles persist in the environment for hundreds of years and continue to enter our food and water.

2023 Sustainability 42 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

Current progress on plastic/microplastic degradation: Fact influences and mechanism

This review examined current physicochemical and biological methods for degrading plastics and microplastics, including mechanical, UV, thermal, and microbial approaches. Researchers found that while multiple degradation pathways exist, their efficiency varies widely depending on polymer type and environmental conditions. The study highlights the need for more effective and scalable degradation technologies to address growing plastic pollution.

2022 Environmental Pollution 308 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Plastic Waste: Environmental Implications and Remediation Approaches

This review examined physical, chemical, and biological degradation mechanisms of microplastics in the environment, including photodegradation, hydrolysis, and microbial breakdown. The authors discussed how degradation generates secondary microplastics and toxic by-products, and reviewed emerging mitigation strategies including advanced oxidation and enzymatic degradation.

2025 International Journal of Scientific Research in Science Engineering and Technology
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

Degradation of microplastic in water by advanced oxidation processes

This review covers advanced methods for breaking down microplastics in water using powerful chemical reactions and light-activated catalysts that can degrade plastic particles into less harmful substances. Developing effective ways to destroy microplastics in water is critical for human health because conventional water treatment plants do not fully remove these particles from drinking water sources.

2024 Chemosphere 54 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 like mechanical recycling and incineration and presenting biological alternatives using bacteria, fungi, and algae. The authors identify key microbial mechanisms and enzyme systems involved in plastic degradation and discuss the potential for scaling these approaches as cost-effective environmental remediation tools.

2025 UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in mechanistic insights into microplastics mitigation strategies via emerging advanced oxidation processes: Legislation, challenges, and future direction

This review examines advanced oxidation processes as a promising approach for breaking down microplastics in water, covering techniques like photocatalysis, electrochemical oxidation, and ozonation. Researchers analyzed how these methods break apart plastic polymer chains at the molecular level and identified key limitations that must be overcome. The study also discusses current plastic pollution legislation and emphasizes the need for stronger regulatory frameworks alongside technological solutions.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic degradation methods

This review examines methods for degrading microplastics, which are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm that have become ubiquitous contaminants throughout the biosphere. Researchers synthesized physical, chemical, and biological degradation approaches, evaluating their efficacy for reducing microplastic persistence in the environment and mitigating associated health and ecological risks.

2025 Repository of the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology
Article Tier 2

Microbial degradation and other environmental aspects of microplastics/plastics

This review covers microbial colonization and degradation of microplastics, as well as other environmental processes affecting microplastic fate, and summarizes emerging methods for microplastic removal and environmental remediation.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 794 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic and biological technologies for elimination of microplastics in water: Current status

This review examines emerging photocatalytic and biological technologies for breaking down microplastics in water, since conventional treatment facilities can capture but not fully destroy these particles. Researchers found that while photocatalysis and microbial degradation show promise, their effectiveness varies widely and the underlying mechanisms are only partly understood. The study highlights the urgent need for more efficient solutions to eliminate rather than simply filter out microplastic pollution from water supplies.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 137 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
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

Microbial 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.

2025 Current Research in Microbial Sciences 1 citations
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

On the degradation of (micro)plastics: Degradation methods, influencing factors, environmental impacts

This review provides a comprehensive overview of methods for degrading microplastics, including photodegradation, thermal degradation, and biodegradation, along with the factors that influence each process. Researchers found that while several degradation approaches show promise in laboratory settings, no mature and effective method is yet available for large-scale engineering applications or natural environments. The study also discusses how degradation products of microplastics can themselves pose environmental risks.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 371 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Archives of Microbiology 14 citations
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

Challenges and opportunities in bioremediation of micro-nano plastics: A review.

This review examines biological approaches to removing micro- and nanoplastics from the environment, focusing on microbial degradation and bioremediation strategies. While bioremediation holds promise, challenges remain in identifying microbes capable of degrading common plastic types and scaling these processes for practical environmental cleanup.

2022 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Developments in advanced oxidation processes for removal of microplastics from aqueous matrices

This review evaluates advanced oxidation processes for removing microplastics from water, finding that photocatalysis, Fenton reactions, and electrochemical methods can effectively degrade microplastics into smaller molecules, offering promising alternatives to conventional non-destructive treatment approaches.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 38 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