Papers

61,005 results
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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

Enzymes in the Removal of Harmful Substances: The Potential of Biotechnology in Environmental Protection

This review examines the potential of enzymes as sustainable, highly specific tools for removing harmful environmental pollutants including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, dyes, and microplastics under mild conditions without generating toxic by-products. The authors highlight innovations in enzyme immobilisation, microbial consortia, and hybrid technologies as strategies to enhance efficiency and broaden the practical applicability of biotechnology-based environmental remediation.

2025 Earth Environmental Sustainability
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

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

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

The Recent Advances in the Utility of Microbial Lipases: A Review

This review covers recent advances in microbial lipase enzymes, including their sources from fungi, bacteria, and yeast, along with modern purification techniques. The study discusses the broad industrial applications of lipases in food processing, textiles, biodiesel production, biosensors, and bioremediation, highlighting their growing importance as versatile biocatalysts.

2023 Microorganisms 143 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioremediation of Toxic Pollutants

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it is a broad review of bioremediation approaches for environmental pollutants including heavy metals and textile dyes, with no specific focus on microplastics.

2023
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

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

The Role and Application of Microbial Enzymes in Microplastics’ Bioremediation: Available and Future Perspectives

This chapter reviews how microbial enzymes — including PETases, laccases, and cutinases — can break down microplastic polymers in soil and aquatic environments, and how advances in metagenomics and enzyme engineering are accelerating discovery of new plastic-degrading candidates. While promising, the authors note that no enzyme-based solution is yet scalable enough to meaningfully reduce the microplastic burden already present in the environment.

2023 ACS symposium series 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial enzymes for the recycling of recalcitrant petroleum‐based plastics: how far are we?

This review examines the progress in identifying microbial enzymes capable of breaking down petroleum-based plastics like polyethylene, polystyrene, polyurethane, and PET. Researchers highlight recent advances in using polyester-degrading enzymes to recover raw materials from PET waste through biocatalytic recycling. The study discusses the potential and remaining challenges of using biological approaches to address the growing global problem of plastic waste accumulation.

2017 Microbial Biotechnology 788 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

Biodegradation of Plastic and the Role of Microbial Enzymes in Plastic Waste Management

This review examines how microbial enzymes, particularly PET hydrolases and oxidative enzymes, can depolymerize and break down common plastic polymers through biological degradation. The study suggests that enzymatic approaches to plastic waste management offer a promising complement to mechanical and chemical recycling, though optimizing enzyme activity and scaling up the process remain key challenges.

2026 International Journal of Education Management and Technology
Article Tier 2

Eco‐Powered Cleanup: Laccase as a Green Catalyst for Tackling Emerging Contaminants

This review examines laccase, a multicopper oxidase enzyme, as a green biocatalytic tool for degrading emerging contaminants including PFAS, microplastics, endocrine disruptors, and pesticides in soil and water, presenting it as a cost-effective bioremediation alternative.

2025 Global Challenges
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

A review on cutinases enzyme in degradation of microplastics

This review examines the role of cutinase enzymes produced by bacteria and fungi in degrading various types of microplastics and plastic films. The study suggests that while enzymatic biodegradation shows promise as a remediation strategy, the diversity of microplastic types and their associated contaminants present significant challenges for effective environmental cleanup.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Synthetic Organic Compounds From Paper Industry Wastes: Integrated Biotechnological Interventions

This review examined how biotechnological approaches — including microbial enzymes — can be used to break down toxic organic compounds from pulp and paper industry waste. While focused on paper waste, similar biological degradation approaches are being investigated for breaking down plastic polymers and their microplastic fragments.

2021 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanobiocatalysts and its Applications: A Review Article

This review covers nanobiocatalysts — enzymes attached to nanostructures — and their applications in biotechnology, including potential uses in breaking down plastic pollution. Nanobiocatalysts offer improved stability and efficiency for industrial enzymes, including those being explored for plastic biodegradation.

2023 International Journal of Chemical and Environmental Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Degradation of (Micro)plastics: Mechanisms, Enhancements, and Future Directions

This review examines how microorganisms can break down microplastics using enzymes like PETase and laccases, offering a more environmentally friendly alternative to other cleanup methods. While microbial degradation holds promise for reducing microplastic pollution and its associated health risks, current efficiency is too low for large-scale application and needs further improvement.

2024 Fermentation 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioremediation for Environmental Pollutants

This book chapter reviews bioremediation techniques for removing hazardous chemicals from contaminated soil and water, covering heavy metals, dyes, and other industrial pollutants. Bioremediation approaches including microbial and plant-based methods are also being explored for removing microplastics from contaminated environments.

2023 BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS eBooks 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Enzymatic Remediation of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)–Based Polymers for Effective Management of Plastic Wastes: An Overview

Enzymatic approaches for remediating PET-based plastic waste were reviewed, covering PETase and related enzymes that can break PET into reusable monomers. Enzyme engineering strategies to improve thermostability and catalytic efficiency are discussed as a pathway to scalable biological PET recycling.

2020 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 193 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial cellulase production and its potential application for textile industries

Researchers review how enzymes produced by microorganisms, specifically cellulase, can replace harsh chemicals in textile processing, making the industry more environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Microbial cellulase breaks down cellulose fibers without toxic byproducts, offering a safer alternative to conventional chemical dye processes used in fabric manufacturing.

2023 Annals of Microbiology 91 citations
Article Tier 2

Biologics in synergy to degrade target micropollutants

This review describes how biological agents—bacteria, fungi, and engineered enzymes—can be combined to break down a range of environmental pollutants, including microplastics, chlorinated solvents, and pharmaceuticals. The emphasis on enzyme discovery and microbial consortia points toward scalable, low-emission alternatives to incineration or chemical treatment for tackling complex pollution mixtures.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Biologics in synergy to degrade target micropollutants

This review describes how biological agents—bacteria, fungi, and engineered enzymes—can be combined to break down a range of environmental pollutants, including microplastics, chlorinated solvents, and pharmaceuticals. The emphasis on enzyme discovery and microbial consortia points toward scalable, low-emission alternatives to incineration or chemical treatment for tackling complex pollution mixtures.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)