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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Synergistic Microbial Degradation of Microplastics and Toxic Dyes Showing Potential Reuse of the Degraded Dye Metabolites
ClearSynergistic Pollution: Interactions Among Polyethylene, Surfactants, and Antibiotics in an Aquatic Environment
Researchers investigated synergistic pollution effects among polyethylene microplastics, surfactants, and antibiotics in aquatic systems, finding that co-presence enhanced the environmental persistence and bioavailability of antibiotics beyond what microplastics or surfactants caused individually.
Environmental Impact of Textile Materials: Challenges in Fiber–Dye Chemistry and Implication of Microbial Biodegradation
This review examines how the textile industry contributes to environmental pollution through both chemical dye waste and microplastic fiber release. Synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon shed non-biodegradable microfibers during manufacturing and washing, while the dyeing process generates contaminated wastewater. The paper highlights microbial biodegradation as a promising and cost-effective approach to breaking down both textile waste and the microplastics it produces.
Effects and fate of microfibres on wastewater treatment: Insights into treatment performance, microbiome selection and synergetic impacts on functional organisms in granular sludge reactors
Researchers investigated the effects of denim and polyester microfibres on the performance of aerobic granular sludge wastewater treatment reactors, examining impacts on treatment efficiency, microbiome composition, and synergistic effects on functional microbial organisms.
Synergistic functional activity of a landfill microbial consortium in a microplastic-enriched environment
Scientists studied soil bacteria from a decades-old landfill to understand how microbes adapt to high concentrations of polyethylene and PET microplastics. They found that multiple bacterial species work together to break down these plastics, with different roles for bacteria floating freely versus those attached to plastic surfaces. While biodegradation of microplastics is possible, it is slow, and understanding these natural processes could eventually help with cleanup efforts.
Biocatalytic strategies for the degradation of emerging micropollutants: From nanoplastics to pharmaceuticals
Researchers demonstrated that specific bacteria can break down both nanoplastics and common pharmaceuticals such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, which frequently contaminate waterways. Encasing these bacteria in alginate beads improved their stability and reusability, pointing toward practical bioremediation tools for tackling multiple classes of emerging pollutants simultaneously.
Biocatalytic strategies for the degradation of emerging micropollutants: From nanoplastics to pharmaceuticals
Researchers demonstrated that specific bacteria can break down both nanoplastics and common pharmaceuticals such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, which frequently contaminate waterways. Encasing these bacteria in alginate beads improved their stability and reusability, pointing toward practical bioremediation tools for tackling multiple classes of emerging pollutants simultaneously.
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.
Biodegradation of textile waste by marine bacterial communities enhanced by light
Researchers found that marine bacterial communities could biodegrade both synthetic textile fibers and polyethylene microbeads, with light exposure enhancing degradation. The findings suggest that certain environmental conditions can promote natural microbial breakdown of plastic debris in coastal seawater.
Sustainable solution for microplastic removal: Sequential biodegradation and detoxification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by two natural microbial consortia
Researchers developed a two-stage approach using natural microbial communities to break down PET microplastics and neutralize their toxic byproducts. The first bacterial-fungal group achieved 28% degradation over 60 days, while a second group of bacteria further processed the breakdown products, reducing their toxicity. The study demonstrates that sequential microbial treatment could be a practical, eco-friendly strategy for addressing PET microplastic pollution.
Catalytic and Physicochemical Evaluation of a TiO2/ZnO/Laccase Biocatalytic System: Application in the Decolorization of Azo and Anthraquinone Dyes
Researchers developed a biocatalytic system combining titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and the enzyme laccase to break down textile dyes in wastewater. The system successfully decolorized two types of synthetic dyes used in fabric manufacturing. While not directly about microplastics, synthetic dye wastewater from textiles also carries microfibers, and treatments that address both problems together are environmentally valuable.
Engineering a Cross-Feeding Synthetic Bacterial Consortium for Degrading Mixed PET and Nylon Monomers
Researchers engineered a team of two bacterial species that work together to break down monomers from both PET and nylon plastics, two of the most common types found in mixed plastic waste. The bacteria developed a cooperative feeding relationship where each species handles different plastic components and helps neutralize toxic byproducts. While still at the laboratory stage, this synthetic biology approach could eventually help break down mixed plastic waste before it degrades into microplastics in the environment.
Effects and fate of microfibres on wastewater treatment: Insights into treatment performance, microbiome selection and synergetic impacts on functional organisms in granular sludge reactors
Researchers investigated the effects of denim and polyester microfibres on aerobic granular sludge reactor performance, examining how these commonly encountered anthropogenic fibres influence wastewater treatment efficiency, microbiome selection, and interactions with functional organisms.
Enterococcus Present in Marine Ecosystems and Their Potential to Degrade Azo Dyes
Researchers studied Enterococcus bacteria from marine environments and their ability to break down industrial azo dyes, which are common water pollutants. While not directly about microplastics, this research explores how marine bacteria can help remediate chemical pollution in coastal ecosystems.
Nanophotocatalytic synergistic degradation of antibiotics and microplastics: Mechanisms, material design, and environmental applications
This review examines how microplastics and antibiotics interact in water during photocatalytic treatment, finding that microplastics can both help (by shuttling electrons) and hinder (by shielding light or hosting biofilms) the degradation process, depending on conditions. Aged microplastics — which have more surface oxygen groups — adsorb more antibiotics, making them tougher composite targets for treatment systems. Understanding these interactions is essential for designing water purification systems that can handle the combined pollution reality of modern waterways.
Toward sustainable plastic bioremediation using bacterial consortia from aquatic environments.
This study explored the biotechnological potential of native bacteria from diverse aquatic environments to biodegrade synthetic plastics and microplastics. Bacterial consortia isolated from contaminated sites showed promising plastic-degrading capabilities, pointing toward bioremediation strategies for plastic pollution.
Effects and Fate of Microfibres on Wastewater Treatment: Insights into Treatment Performance, Microbiome Selection and Synergetic Impacts on Functional Organisms in Granular Sludge Reactors
Researchers examined the effects of polyester and denim microfibres on aerobic granular sludge reactors used in wastewater treatment, finding that fibre presence influences treatment performance, microbiome community composition, and the function of key organisms in the granular sludge. The findings reveal that textile microfibres reaching wastewater plants can have synergistic negative impacts on biological treatment processes.
Coexistence of specialist and generalist species within mixed plastic derivative-utilizing microbial communities
Researchers found that microbial communities breaking down plastic-derived chemicals are dominated by generalist bacteria like Rhodococcus, supported by specialist species targeting specific compounds. This division of labor could be exploited to design more effective microbial consortia for bioremediation of plastic pollution.
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.
Characterization of microplastics and their interaction with antibiotics in wastewater
Researchers characterized microplastics in wastewater and investigated their interactions with antibiotics, examining how microplastic surfaces adsorb antibiotic compounds and the implications for antibiotic transport and dissemination in wastewater treatment systems.
Textile waste and microplastic induce activity and development of unique hydrocarbon-degrading marine bacterial communities
Marine microbial communities respond differently to virgin plastic microbeads, textile fibers, and a surfactant, each inducing distinct patterns of metabolic activity. The findings show that microplastics support unique microbial communities with potential roles in both pollution cycling and disease transmission.