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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Strategies for biofilm optimization of plastic-degrading microorganisms and isolating biofilm formers from plastic-contaminated environments
ClearMicrobial degradation of plastics: Biofilms and degradation pathways
This review covers how microorganisms form biofilms on plastic surfaces in soils and water, and how these communities gradually break plastics down through enzymatic activity. Microbial plastic degradation is still slow and incomplete, but understanding the process is key to developing biological plastic cleanup strategies.
Plastisphere community assemblage of aquatic environment: plastic-microbe interaction, role in degradation and characterization technologies
This review examines the plastisphere—microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces in aquatic environments—covering how these biofilms form, their role in plastic biodegradation, and current characterization technologies for studying plastic-microbe interactions.
Microbial Biofilm of Plastic in Tropical Marine Environment and their Potential for Bioremediation of Plastic Waste
This review examined microbial biofilm communities on plastic debris in tropical marine environments, finding that warm, humid conditions accelerate plastisphere biofilm development, and that several identified bacterial taxa show potential for biodegradation of plastic polymers.
Direct evidence for selective microbial enrichment with plastic degradation potential in the plastisphere
This study provided direct experimental evidence that microplastic surfaces selectively enrich bacteria capable of degrading plastic polymers, addressing the long-standing hypothesis that the plastisphere harbors plastic-degrading microbes. Bacteria isolated from microplastic biofilms demonstrably used plastic as a carbon source, confirming that environmental microplastics actively select for and concentrate plastic-degrading communities.
Promoting bacterial colonization and biofilm formation for enhanced biodegradation of low-density polyethylene microplastics
Four bacterial strains isolated from marine plastic debris — including Bacillus cereus and Micrococcus luteus — were shown to form biofilms on low-density polyethylene and produce biosurfactants, with biofilm promotion strategies enhancing polyethylene biodegradation rates.
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.
Role of Biofilms in the Degradation of Microplastics
This review examines the role of microbial biofilms in degrading microplastics, presenting insights into how microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces may contribute to the breakdown of microplastic particles in aquatic and terrestrial environments.
Role of biofilms in the degradation of microplastics in aquatic environments
This review examined the role of microbial biofilms in degrading microplastics in aquatic environments, highlighting the potential for biofilm-mediated biodegradation as a natural mechanism for breaking down recalcitrant plastic pollutants.
Evaluation of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial communities on microplastic‐associated biofilms in marine and freshwater environments
Researchers analyzed microbial biofilm communities on microplastic surfaces in both marine and freshwater environments, finding that plastic-associated biofilms harbor distinct prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities with potential roles in plastic biodegradation.
Biofilm formation on microplastics in wastewater: insights into factors, diversity and inactivation strategies
This study investigated how bacteria form biofilms on different types of microplastics in wastewater, finding that polyethylene supported the most biofilm growth, especially in dark, warm, oxygen-rich conditions. The biofilms contained bacteria from groups that include potential human pathogens, and different plastic types supported different microbial communities. This matters because microplastics coated in bacterial biofilms could transport harmful microorganisms through water systems and into the environment.
Structural Diversity in Early-Stage Biofilm Formation on Microplastics Depends on Environmental Medium and Polymer Properties
This study examined the early stages of bacterial biofilm formation on different types of plastic surfaces in different environmental media, finding that both the growth medium and the polymer type influenced which microbial communities colonized the plastic. These plastic-associated biofilms (the plastisphere) can make microplastics more appealing to filter-feeding organisms that mistake them for food.
Review on plastic wastes in marine environment – Biodegradation and biotechnological solutions
Researchers reviewed plastic biodegradation in the marine environment, cataloguing microbial communities that colonize plastic surfaces and the enzymes they produce, while highlighting biotechnological strategies — including enzyme engineering and biofilm optimization — as necessary complements to physical and chemical approaches for reducing micro- and nanoplastic contamination.
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.
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.
Biofilms of Pseudomonas and Lysinibacillus Marine Strains on High-Density Polyethylene
Researchers examined biofilm formation by Pseudomonas and Lysinibacillus marine bacterial strains on high-density polyethylene, investigating how abiotic weathering of the polymer surface affects bacterial adhesion and biofilm strategies relevant to potential plastic biodegradation in marine environments.
Interfacial engineering-based colonization of biofilms on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surfaces: Implications for whole-cell biodegradation of microplastics
This study applied interfacial engineering to promote biofilm colonization on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surfaces to facilitate enzymatic depolymerization under mild conditions. The engineered biofilm approach enabled efficient PET biodegradation without requiring harsh alkaline conditions or high temperatures, advancing practical plastic bioremediation.
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.
A review on microbial-biofilm mediated mechanisms in marine microplastics degradation
This review examines how microbial biofilms form on microplastics in marine environments and their potential role in degrading these persistent pollutants. Researchers found that plastic-associated biofilm communities are diverse and influenced by factors such as polymer type, particle size, and seasonal conditions. The study identifies knowledge gaps in understanding how bacterial and fungal communities on microplastics may contribute to their breakdown in ocean environments.
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.
Biofilms on plastic litter in an urban river: Community composition and activity vary by substrate type
Researchers examined biofilms colonizing plastic litter versus natural surfaces in an urban river, finding that community composition and metabolic activity vary by substrate type, with plastic surfaces hosting distinct microbial communities that may influence plastic degradation rates.
Microbial Colonization in Marine Environments: Overview of Current Knowledge and Emerging Research Topics
This review examines how microorganisms colonize submerged surfaces in aquatic environments, with a focus on the factors shaping biofilm communities on microplastics. The authors discuss how the chemical and physical properties of plastic surfaces influence microbial attachment and community development compared to natural substrates.
Bacterial consortia based enhanced biofilm mediated synthetic plastic waste treatment
Researchers investigated bacterial consortia-enhanced biofilm formation as a biodegradation strategy for synthetic plastic waste, examining how multi-species consortia can improve polymer degradation performance compared to single organisms, positioning biodegradation as a sustainable approach to reducing plastic accumulation in air, water, and soil.
Rapid Physicochemical Changes in Microplastic Induced by Biofilm Formation
Researchers studied how biofilm formation rapidly changes the physical and chemical properties of microplastics over a two-week period. The study found significant two-way interactions between microbial communities and plastic surfaces, with biofilm colonization altering surface properties of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, while the type of polymer influenced which microbial communities developed.
Enrichment and isolation of micro plastic degrading microorganisms from various natural sources
Researchers isolated microplastic-degrading microorganisms from soil and water samples using mineral salt media with polyethylene and polypropylene as sole carbon sources, successfully identifying four distinct microbial isolates capable of degrading these polymers.