Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Hydrolase and plastic-degrading microbiota explain degradation of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics during high-temperature composting

Researchers tested a PET-degrading enzyme (WCCG) in high-temperature composting and found that adding the enzyme achieved 35% PET degradation, while native plastic-degrading microbiota alone (including Acinetobacter and Bacillus) reduced PET by 26%, suggesting both enzymatic and microbial approaches can address PET microplastic pollution.

2023 Bioresource Technology 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Enzymatic Degradation of PET plastic

This study tested commercial-grade enzymes for degrading PET plastic and found that enzymatic degradation was effective at laboratory scale but faced challenges for real-world application. Scaling up enzymatic PET recycling could reduce the persistence of plastic waste that eventually fragments into microplastics in the environment.

2023 ARPHA Conference Abstracts
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

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

An efficient strategy to tailor PET hydrolase: Simple preparation with high yield and enhanced hydrolysis to micro-nano plastics

This study developed a simplified, high-yield preparation method for PET-degrading hydrolase enzymes to improve their ability to break down PET nano- and microplastics. The engineered enzyme showed enhanced hydrolysis activity against PET microplastics, offering a more practical route to enzymatic plastic waste treatment.

2024 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Enzymatic remediation of polyester microfibers in sewage sludge and green compost samples

Researchers tested a heat-tolerant enzyme (LCC ICCG cutinase) on PET plastic microfibers in sewage sludge and compost, successfully breaking down up to 16.6 mg of PET per cubic centimeter within 24 hours — demonstrating that enzyme-based bioremediation could help remove microplastics from agricultural biofertilizers before they contaminate soil.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine PET Hydrolase (PET2): Assessment of Terephthalate- and Indole-Based Polyesters Depolymerization

Researchers characterized a marine enzyme (PET2) capable of breaking down PET plastic and related polyester materials under relatively mild conditions. Discovering and engineering enzymes that can degrade PET could help address the massive accumulation of PET microplastics in ocean environments.

2023 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A review on microbial bioremediation of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics

This review focuses on microbial biodegradation of PET microplastics — the plastic used in bottles and synthetic textiles — detailing the specific enzymes (PETase and MHETase) that bacteria use to break the polymer down into its chemical building blocks. Biological degradation offers a lower-energy, more environmentally gentle alternative to chemical recycling or landfill, and understanding the microbial mechanisms involved is key to developing scalable bioremediation solutions for one of the most pervasive microplastic types.

2024 Environmental Quality Management 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Enzymatic Degradation on the Material Properties of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate)

This study tested whether a plastic-degrading enzyme (PETase) could break down recycled PET plastic and whether the degradation changed its material properties in ways that could affect fragmentation into microplastics. Enzyme treatment caused visible surface degradation and reduced the plastic's strength. Understanding how biological degradation alters plastic properties helps predict how PET breaks down into microplastics in the environment.

2021 Polymers 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Current knowledge on enzymatic PET degradation and its possible application to waste stream management and other fields

This review distinguished between enzymatic PET surface modification (useful for fiber treatment) and enzymatic PET degradation (needed for waste management), cataloguing the hydrolases capable of each function and the conditions required. The authors evaluate the prospects for deploying PET-degrading enzymes in industrial plastic waste streams.

2019 Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 576 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

A versatile assay platform for enzymatic poly(ethylene-terephthalate) degradation

Researchers developed a fast, reliable assay platform for testing enzymes that break down PET plastic, a common component of bottles and packaging. Better enzyme-based recycling tools could help reduce PET accumulation in the environment and the microplastics it generates.

2021 Protein Engineering Design and Selection 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine PET Hydrolase (PET2): Assessment of Terephthalate- and Indole-Based Polyester Depolymerization

This study characterized a marine-derived enzyme (PET2) capable of breaking down PET plastic under mild conditions, assessing its efficiency for enzymatic recycling. Enzyme-based PET recycling could prevent plastic waste from fragmenting into the microplastics that accumulate in oceans and organisms.

2023 Catalysts 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial degradation of plastics in the environment: Mechanisms, enzymatic pathways, and constraints from laboratory studies to environmental reality

Researchers reviewed microbial and insect-mediated plastic biodegradation, finding that while a wide range of bacteria and fungi can degrade common polymers and PETase enzymes have been substantially improved through protein engineering, degradation rates measured in optimized laboratory settings likely overestimate real-world performance under natural constraints like low temperature and nutrient limitation.

2026 Journal of Environmental Management
Article Tier 2

Enzymatic PET Degradation

This review examines enzymatic degradation of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the plastic used in bottles and polyester clothing, as a promising pathway for breaking down this persistent polymer. Advances in engineering more efficient PET-degrading enzymes could enable industrial-scale biological recycling and reduce the environmental accumulation of PET microplastics.

2019 CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry 50 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

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

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

Biểu hiện, tinh sạch và đánh giá sơ bộ hoạt tính phân hủy nhựa PET của enzyme PETase tái tổ hợp

Vietnamese researchers successfully expressed and purified recombinant PETase enzyme — which breaks down PET plastic — finding optimal expression conditions and that adding glycerol and DTT enhanced its plastic-degrading activity. This is directly relevant to microplastic research as PETase-based biodegradation is a promising biological approach to reducing PET plastic waste and microplastic generation.

2023 Journal of Science and Technology
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

Structural decay of poly(ethylene terephthalate) by enzymatic degradation

Researchers examined the structural decay of poly(ethylene terephthalate) through enzymatic degradation as a sustainable recycling strategy, finding this approach requires neither energy nor harsh solvents, offering a promising path for addressing microplastic pollution from PET products.

2025 Polymer Journal
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

Enhancing PET Degrading Enzymes: A Combinatory Approach

Scientists worked on improving enzymes that can break down PET plastic, one of the most common plastics in consumer products. Using a combinatory approach, researchers enhanced the performance of a naturally occurring PET-degrading enzyme from the bacterium Piscinibacter sakaiensis. The study suggests that engineered enzymes could eventually help create a circular economy for plastic waste by enabling efficient recycling at the molecular level.

2024 ChemBioChem 21 citations