Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Research progress on chemical depolymerization and upcycling of PET waste plastics

This review examines recent advances in chemical methods for breaking down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste plastics into useful raw materials. Researchers surveyed techniques including glycolysis, methanolysis, hydrolysis, and aminolysis that can convert PET back into monomers for reuse. The study highlights chemical depolymerization as a promising approach to reduce plastic pollution while recovering valuable materials from waste.

2025 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microbial degradation of polyethylene terephthalate: a systematic review

This systematic review examines how microorganisms like bacteria and fungi can break down PET plastic, one of the most common types of plastic waste. The research identifies several promising biological approaches that could help reduce plastic pollution without the harmful side effects of chemical recycling methods. Finding better ways to break down plastic waste is critical for reducing the microplastics that end up in our water, food, and bodies.

2022 SN Applied Sciences 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in catalytic hydrogenolysis of polyester

This review summarises a decade of research into chemically recycling polyester plastic waste (especially PET) by breaking its polymer chains using hydrogen gas — a process called hydrogenolysis — to recover valuable chemical building blocks. Different catalysts allow scientists to target different chemical bonds in PET, yielding products like aromatic hydrocarbons, glycols, or terephthalic acid under varying conditions. Developing efficient chemical recycling pathways is directly relevant to reducing plastic waste and the microplastic pollution that results from improperly disposed plastics.

2025 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) 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

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

Sustainable Management of Microplastic Pollutions from PET Bottles: Overview and Mitigation Strategies

Researchers reviewed the environmental impact of PET bottle degradation and strategies for managing the resulting microplastic pollution. The study highlights that PET bottle usage continues to grow, and its breakdown releases low-molecular-weight compounds and microplastics, while outlining mitigation approaches including improved recycling and waste management practices.

2025 Applied Sciences 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Strategies for Electrochemical Recycling of Plastic Polyethylene Terephthalate‐Derived Ethylene Glycol Into High‐Value Chemicals

This paper reviews new methods for recycling PET plastic waste, the most common plastic in bottles and packaging, using electricity from renewable sources. By converting PET-derived chemicals into high-value products through electrocatalysis, this approach could help reduce both plastic pollution and microplastic contamination in the environment.

2025 Advanced Energy Materials 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Progress in Polyolefin Plastic: Polyethylene and Polypropylene Transformation and Depolymerization Techniques

This review covers new methods for breaking down polyethylene and polypropylene, the two most common types of plastic, into reusable materials. Since mechanical recycling only handles a small fraction of plastic waste, chemical approaches like pyrolysis and hydrogenolysis offer more promising solutions. These techniques are important because the breakdown of these same plastics into microplastics is a major source of environmental and health contamination.

2024 Molecules 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparsion of Catalyst Effectiveness in Different Chemical Depolymerization Methods of Poly(ethylene terephthalate)

This review compares the effectiveness of different catalysts used in chemical recycling methods for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic. The study covers hydrolysis, methanolysis, glycolysis, and other depolymerization approaches, comparing key process parameters like temperature, reaction time, and yields to help identify the most efficient PET recycling strategies.

2023 Molecules 31 citations
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

СУЧАСНЕ УЯВЛЕННЯ ПРО ПЕРЕБІГ ПРОЦЕСІВ ДЕСТРУКЦІЇ ПОЛІЕТИЛЕНТЕРЕФТАЛАТУ

This Ukrainian review summarizes current understanding of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) degradation mechanisms, including hydrolysis, thermal, photodegradation, and mechanical breakdown. Understanding how PET degrades is important because it is one of the most abundant plastics that fragments into microplastics in the environment.

2023 Journal of Chemistry and Technologies 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of Enzyme-Based Approaches for Recycling PET on an Industrial Scale

This paper reviews the development of enzyme-based methods for breaking down PET plastic (used in bottles and packaging) at an industrial scale. While enzymatic recycling is a promising solution to plastic waste, current methods are still too slow and costly for widespread use. Improving these technologies could help reduce the enormous amount of PET entering the environment and breaking down into microplastics.

2024 Biochemistry 22 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 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

Determinants for an Efficient Enzymatic Catalysis in Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Degradation

This review covers the current state of enzymatic PET degradation, examining which enzymes act on PET, how protein engineering has improved their activity, and what challenges remain before enzymatic recycling can be deployed at industrial scale.

2023 Catalysts 19 citations
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

Engineered polyethylene terephthalate hydrolases: perspectives and limits

This review examines progress in engineering enzymes that can break down PET plastic, the material used in most beverage bottles and synthetic textiles. Researchers found that while significant advances have been made through protein engineering and machine learning, no enzyme yet exists that can efficiently degrade the crystalline form of PET found in real-world waste. The study outlines the key challenges remaining before enzymatic plastic recycling can work at industrial scale, including handling microplastic contamination.

2024 Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 27 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

Microbial Degradation of Plastic Polymers

This review examines microbial degradation pathways for common synthetic plastics including polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, PVC, polyurethane, and PET, describing how mechanical and biological processes fragment plastics into microplastics and how microorganisms can be leveraged to address plastic pollution in aquatic and terrestrial environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, analysis, and toxicity of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics: a review

This review focuses on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), one of the most common types of plastic found as microplastic contamination in food, beverages, dust, wildlife, and human tissues. The authors found major inconsistencies in how researchers measure and detect PET microplastics, making it difficult to accurately assess health risks. Better standardized methods are needed to understand the true scope of PET contamination.

2025 Environmental Chemistry Letters 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in enzyme engineering for improved deconstruction of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) plastics

This review covers recent progress in engineering enzymes that can break down PET plastic, the material used in water bottles and food containers. While natural enzymes that digest PET have been discovered, they are not yet fast or durable enough for industrial-scale recycling. Advances in protein engineering, directed evolution, and computational design are steadily improving these enzymes, which could eventually provide a sustainable way to recycle PET and reduce microplastic pollution at its source.

2025 Communications Materials 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical Recycling of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Driven by the Use of Protic Ionic Liquids: A Strategy to Mitigate Microplastic Pollution

Researchers explored using environmentally friendly ionic liquids to chemically recycle PET microplastics through hydrolysis, recovering the raw material terephthalic acid. The most effective ionic liquid achieved over 80% PET conversion under relatively mild conditions compared to traditional chemical recycling methods. The study suggests that protic ionic liquids could offer a sustainable, less hazardous approach to breaking down PET microplastic waste.

2025 Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Perspectives on the Role of Enzymatic Biocatalysis for the Degradation of Plastic PET

This review discusses the role of enzymatic biocatalysis in PET plastic degradation, examining how the discovery of PETase and subsequent enzyme engineering have advanced biodegradation as an alternative to chemical and mechanical recycling for one of the most produced plastics globally.

2021 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 97 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