Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Mechanisms of Polyethylene Terephthalate Pellet Fragmentation into Nanoplastics and Assimilable Carbons by Wastewater Comamonas

Researchers discovered how a common wastewater bacterium, Comamonas testosteroni, breaks down PET plastic pellets into nanoplastics and usable carbon. The bacterium fragmented PET pellets through a hydrolysis process, increasing nanoparticle levels 3.5-fold over 30 days, and was able to use the breakdown products for growth. This finding is significant because it shows that bacteria in wastewater can both degrade PET and potentially generate nanoplastics as byproducts.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Microplastic Derived from Poly(ethylene terephthalate) with Bacterial Whole-Cell Biocatalysts

Engineered bacterial whole-cell biocatalysts were used to biodegrade PET microplastics under alkaline conditions, with the strain using PET as a sole carbon source and producing monomers that did not accumulate due to continuous cellular metabolism. The study demonstrates a combined enzymatic-microbial approach that overcomes product inhibition in enzymatic PET degradation.

2018 Polymers 158 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of PET Plastics by Wastewater Bacteria Engineered via Conjugation

Researchers demonstrated a proof-of-concept approach for reducing PET microplastic pollution in wastewater by engineering bacteria in situ via conjugation to express PET-degrading enzymes. The study used a broad-host-range conjugative plasmid to transfer PET hydrolase genes into native wastewater bacterial communities.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Microplastics by Baceterial Communities From Activated Sludge

Scientists isolated bacteria from wastewater treatment sludge that can biodegrade PET plastic, used in plastic bottles and food packaging. The bacteria broke down PET microplastics over a 60-day period, pointing toward a potential biological tool for removing plastic contamination from water treatment systems.

2021
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Microplastics by Baceterial Communities From Activated Sludge

Scientists isolated bacteria from wastewater treatment sludge that can biodegrade PET plastic, used in plastic bottles and food packaging. The bacteria broke down PET microplastics over a 60-day period, pointing toward a potential biological tool for removing plastic contamination from water treatment systems.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Enzymatic Degradation of Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastics by Bacterial Curli Display PETase

Researchers engineered bacteria to display a PET-degrading enzyme on their surface, creating a reusable biocatalyst capable of breaking down polyethylene terephthalate plastics. The system worked under various conditions, remained stable for at least 30 days, and could even degrade PET microplastics in wastewater and highly crystalline consumer plastic waste. This biological approach offers a promising environmentally friendly alternative for plastic recycling and waste treatment.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 85 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards synthetic PETtrophy: Engineering Pseudomonas putida for concurrent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) monomer metabolism and PET hydrolase expression

Researchers engineered a soil bacterium to simultaneously break down PET plastic and use its building-block chemicals as food, identifying key bottlenecks in balancing enzyme production with bacterial fitness that will need to be resolved before such microbes can be used for large-scale plastic biodegradation.

2022 Microbial Cell Factories 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Engineered Vibrio natriegens as a living biocatalyst for in-situ biodegradation of microplastics in seawater

Researchers engineered the fast-growing marine bacterium Vibrio natriegens to display PETase enzymes on its outer membrane, creating a living biocatalyst that degrades PET microplastics directly in seawater conditions, outperforming comparable E. coli-based systems in both growth rate and hydrolytic activity. This halophilic whole-cell approach addresses a key gap in bioremediation — most PETase studies use freshwater organisms that cannot survive the salinity of marine environments where plastic pollution is most severe.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Enhanced degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics by an engineered Stenotrophomonas pavanii in the presence of biofilm

Scientists engineered a biofilm-forming bacterium to break down PET microplastics (the type found in water bottles and food containers) at room temperature. The engineered bacteria achieved significant PET degradation over 30 days and also worked on other polyester plastics, offering a potential biological solution for cleaning up microplastic pollution in water environments.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of PET plastic with engineered environmental bacteria

Scientists engineered a soil bacterium to break down PET plastic, one of the most common plastics in food packaging and textiles, by giving it the ability to produce and secrete a powerful plastic-degrading enzyme. This is one of the first demonstrations of a living microorganism that can directly consume PET as a food source, which could lead to more sustainable recycling approaches.

2024 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics by wastewater bacteria engineered via conjugation

Scientists engineered wastewater bacteria to break down PET plastic, one of the most common microplastic types, by transferring plastic-degrading genes through a natural DNA-sharing process. The modified bacteria could partially degrade a consumer PET product in 5 to 7 days. This proof-of-concept approach could help reduce the amount of microplastics released from wastewater treatment plants into the environment.

2024 Microbial Biotechnology 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Targeted aggregation of PETase towards surface of Stenotrophomonas pavanii for degradation of PET microplastics

Researchers developed a strategy to target PETase enzyme to the surface of Stenotrophomonas pavanii bacteria, improving the efficiency of in-situ PET microplastic degradation. Surface-displayed PETase showed significantly enhanced PET hydrolysis compared to free enzyme, offering a practical approach to microbial degradation of dispersed PET microplastics in environmental settings.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Development and characterization of a bacterial enzyme cascade reaction system for efficient and stable PET degradation

Scientists engineered a bacterial system that displays plastic-degrading enzymes on the cell surface to efficiently break down PET plastic, achieving a 23% degradation rate of microplastics within 7 days. The system uses E. coli bacteria with specially designed protein fibers that both grip and digest PET fragments. This biotechnology approach could eventually help address the growing problem of microplastic pollution in water and soil environments.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 18 citations
Article Tier 2

An Ultra-Sensitive Comamonas thiooxidans Biosensor for the Rapid Detection of Enzymatic Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Degradation

Researchers developed a highly sensitive fluorescent biosensor using the bacterium Comamonas thiooxidans that detects terephthalic acid — a breakdown product of PET plastic — enabling rapid screening for PET-degrading enzymes to accelerate the discovery of microbes capable of breaking down plastic pollution.

2022 Applied and Environmental Microbiology 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Improvement of biodegradation of PET microplastics with whole-cell biocatalyst by interface activation reinforcement

Researchers developed a whole-cell biocatalysis strategy using alkali-resistant bacteria combined with surfactant-mediated interfacial activation to improve the biodegradation of PET microplastics, finding that Tween 20 most effectively enhanced the bio-interfacial activity between bacterial enzymes and the hydrophobic PET surface, leading to improved hydrolysis rates.

2022 Environmental Technology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Eco-Microbiology: Discovering Biochemical Enhancers of PET Biodegradation by Piscinibacter sakaiensis

This paper reviews biochemical strategies for enhancing PET biodegradation by microorganisms, focusing on the discovery and engineering of plastic-degrading enzymes. The review highlights recent advances and remaining challenges in scaling up enzymatic plastic degradation for industrial applications.

2024
Article Tier 2

Current Knowledge on Polyethylene Terephthalate Degradation by Genetically Modified Microorganisms

This review covers genetically modified microorganisms engineered to degrade polyethylene terephthalate, examining how bioengineering of enzymes such as PETase and enhanced expression systems can overcome the low biodegradation rates of wild-type microorganisms toward this ubiquitous plastic.

2021 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 92 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

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.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioprospecting for polyesterase activity relevant for PET degradation in marine Enterobacterales isolates

Researchers screened marine Enterobacterales isolates for polyesterase activity capable of degrading PET plastic, identifying bacterial strains from marine environments as candidates for bioremediation strategies targeting one of the world's most problematic plastic pollutants.

2023 AIMS Microbiology 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient biodegradation of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic by Gordonia sp. CN2K isolated from plastic contaminated environment

Researchers isolated a bacterium called Gordonia sp. CN2K from a waste management site that can break down PET plastic, one of the most widely used and persistent types of plastic. Over 45 days, the bacterium degraded over 40% of PET microplastic by using it as its sole carbon and energy source. The findings suggest that naturally occurring microorganisms could be harnessed to help address the growing problem of microplastic pollution in the environment.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Engineering microalgae as a whole cell catalyst for PET degradation

Researchers engineered the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum to express PETase, a plastic-degrading enzyme, creating a solar-powered whole-cell biocatalyst capable of breaking down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) under saltwater conditions without external energy inputs.

2021 Methods in enzymology on CD-ROM/Methods in enzymology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Process development for PETase production and purification

Researchers developed a production and purification process for PETase, an enzyme capable of breaking down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic biologically, as an alternative to inadequate mechanical and chemical recycling methods for mixed and contaminated PET waste. The study addresses the global plastic pollution crisis by advancing the scalability of enzymatic PET degradation as a sustainable recycling pathway.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microbial engineering strategies for synthetic microplastics clean up: A review on recent approaches

This review examined microbial engineering strategies for breaking down synthetic microplastics, covering PETase and MHETase enzyme engineering, immobilization approaches, and the major challenges that remain before biological plastic cleanup can be deployed at scale.

2022 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 36 citations