Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Microplastics by Microorganisms Isolated from Two Mature Landfill Leachates

Researchers isolated bacteria and fungi from leachates of two mature landfills and screened them for the ability to degrade polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene microplastics using lipase production and microplastic-as-sole-carbon-source assays. Among 211 isolates, a Bacillus paramycoides strain showed the highest lipase index and degraded up to 11.12% of polystyrene microplastics within 42 days.

2022 Chiang Mai University Journal of Natural Sciences 15 citations
Article Tier 2

The escalated potential of the novel isolate Bacillus cereus NJD1 for effective biodegradation of LDPE films without pre-treatment

Researchers isolated a novel Bacillus cereus strain from a plastic waste dump that achieved 43% weight loss of LDPE films without pre-treatment, demonstrating promising potential for direct bacterial biodegradation of polyethylene waste.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Isolation and characterization of new bacterial strains degrading low-density polyethylene

Researchers isolated and characterized new bacterial strains capable of degrading low-density polyethylene, one of the most common plastic polymers. The strains were found in landfill and compost environments, and the study suggests that biological degradation could be a promising approach for addressing polyethylene waste accumulation.

2024 Chemical and Process Engineering New Frontiers 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial degradation of plastic-A brief review

This review examined microbial degradation of plastics, surveying known plastic-degrading bacteria and fungi and the enzymes they produce, while acknowledging that degradation rates in natural environments remain extremely slow and that biotechnology approaches to accelerating biodegradation require further development.

2021 Pure and Applied Biology 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbes mediated plastic degradation: A sustainable approach for environmental sustainability

This review examines microbially mediated plastic degradation as a sustainable environmental cleanup strategy, surveying bacterial and fungal species capable of breaking down common polymers and discussing enzymatic pathways and factors limiting practical biodegradation rates.

2022 Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbe‐mediated biodegradation of microplastics from wastes

Researchers examined microbe-mediated biodegradation of microplastics from waste, reviewing bacterial and fungal species capable of breaking down various plastic polymers and discussing enzymatic mechanisms that could be harnessed for bioremediation strategies.

2023 Water and Environment Journal 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodeterioration of Microplastics: A Promising Step towards Plastics Waste Management

Researchers screened bacteria from a landfill site for plastic-degrading ability, finding Alcaligenes faecalis and Bacillus cereus as the most active strains, achieving up to 17% degradation of polyester and 29% degradation of polyester by Bacillus cereus. Surface changes confirmed degradation was occurring, and no pre-treatment was needed for these bacteria to utilize plastic as an energy source.

2022 Polymers 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Isolation of a soil bacterium for remediation of polyurethane and low-density polyethylene: a promising tool towards sustainable cleanup of the environment.

A soil bacterium tentatively classified in the Pseudomonas genus was found to biodegrade both polyurethane and low-density polyethylene plastics. The discovery of a single bacterial strain capable of degrading two different types of plastic is a step toward developing practical microbial tools for plastic waste remediation.

2021 3 Biotech
Article Tier 2

Enrichment and isolation of micro plastic degrading microorganisms from various natural sources

Researchers isolated microplastic-degrading microorganisms from soil and water samples using mineral salt media with polyethylene and polypropylene as sole carbon sources, successfully identifying four distinct microbial isolates capable of degrading these polymers.

2024 Ecology Environment and Conservation
Article Tier 2

Plastic biodegradation: Frontline microbes and their enzymes

Researchers reviewed microbial biodegradation of synthetic plastics — including PE, PP, PS, and PET — cataloguing the insects, bacteria, and fungi capable of breaking down these polymers along with the enzymatic mechanisms involved, and outlining paths forward including metabolic pathway engineering and molecular cloning to improve degradation rates.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 663 citations
Article Tier 2

Examining and identifying bacteria-mediated polyethylene terephthalate bottle waste degradation Byprops

Researchers isolated Bacillus subtilis from PET plastic waste dump sites and demonstrated that the bacterium can degrade polyethylene terephthalate microplastics over six months, with UV-pretreated PET showing the most pronounced changes including new alkyl aryl ether and alkene groups detected by FTIR and GC-MS. The findings suggest soil bacteria could offer a biodegradable solution for eliminating PET from plastic-contaminated sites.

2025 International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Bacillus-Associated Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Surfaces For Biodegradation

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most common plastics, found in bottles and packaging, and it breaks down into persistent microplastics in the environment. This study screened bacteria collected from PET surfaces at a landfill in Malaysia, finding strains with promising esterase activity capable of forming biofilms on PET and beginning to degrade it. The findings point toward biological solutions for breaking down PET microplastics before they spread further into ecosystems.

2025 Malaysian Applied Biology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid Biodegradation of Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) Without Pre-Treatment by Bacillus Strains Isolated from Garbage Dumpsites

Researchers isolated five Bacillus strains from garbage dump sites in Bangladesh and demonstrated their ability to degrade untreated low-density polyethylene films without pre-treatment, achieving 16–26% weight loss and surface erosion confirmed by microscopy and FTIR, with two strains representing previously undocumented LDPE degraders.

2026
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of LDPE plastic by local strain of Bacillus sp. isolated from dump soil of Pekanbaru, Indonesia

Scientists isolated a local strain of Bacillus bacteria from landfill soil in Indonesia and tested its ability to break down low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic. The bacteria showed measurable ability to degrade LDPE, reducing plastic weight over time. This research supports the potential for using locally sourced soil bacteria in plastic biodegradation efforts.

2021 Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Advancements and Mechanism of Plastics Biodegradation Promoted by Bacteria: A Key for Sustainable Remediation for Plastic Wastes

This review highlights recent discoveries of microbial enzymes capable of degrading various plastics, discussing bacterial biodegradation mechanisms as a sustainable remediation strategy for addressing accumulating plastic waste in landfills and water bodies.

2023 Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Screening of Bacillus strains isolated from mangrove ecosystems in Peninsular Malaysia for microplastic degradation

Researchers screened Bacillus strains isolated from mangrove ecosystems in Malaysia for plastic-degrading ability, identifying several strains with activity against synthetic polymers and highlighting mangrove microbiomes as a source of plastic-degrading bacteria.

2017 Environmental Pollution 666 citations
Article Tier 2

Evidence of Plastic Degrading Bacteria in Aquatic Environment

This review examines evidence for plastic-degrading bacteria in aquatic environments, summarizing identified microorganisms and their enzymatic mechanisms capable of breaking down plastic materials, and discussing the potential application of these organisms in bioremediation of plastic pollution.

2022 Journal of Biological and Allied Health Sciences
Article Tier 2

Degradation of low density polyethylene by Bacillus species

Researchers tested the ability of two common Bacillus bacteria species to degrade low-density polyethylene and observed weight losses of about 3.5 and 2.8 percent over 30 days. Surface analysis revealed cracks, pits, and chemical oxidation on the plastic sheets exposed to the bacteria. The study suggests that these widely available microorganisms could potentially be developed as biological agents for polyethylene degradation, though the underlying enzymatic mechanisms require further investigation.

2022 Applied Biological Chemistry 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Allies in Plastic Degradation: Specific bacterial genera as universal plastic-degraders in various environments

Researchers identified specific bacterial genera capable of degrading multiple types of plastic across different environments including landfill soil, sewage sludge, and river water. They found that certain bacteria, such as Pseudomonas and Bacillus species, consistently appeared as effective plastic degraders regardless of the environment. The study suggests that these universal plastic-degrading bacteria could be valuable candidates for developing bioremediation strategies to address plastic pollution.

2024 Chemosphere 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of microplastic degrading bacteria isolated from the Putri Cempo landfill

Researchers isolated bacteria from a landfill in Indonesia and characterized their ability to degrade microplastics, identifying indigenous strains with potential for use in bioremediation of plastic pollution.

2024 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification and Characterization of Microplastic Degrading Bacteria in Three Landfills of Lampung Province

Researchers isolated and characterized microplastic-degrading bacteria from three landfills in Lampung Province, Indonesia, identifying species capable of using plastic as a carbon source with potential utility for bioremediation of plastic-contaminated sites.

2025 Jurnal Bioteknologi & Biosains Indonesia (JBBI)
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) by Bacillus safensis YX8

Researchers isolated a PET-degrading bacterial strain, Bacillus safensis YX8, from the surface of plastic waste and demonstrated its ability to break down PET nanoparticles. The study identified the degradation products as terephthalic acid and related compounds, suggesting this bacterium could contribute to environmentally friendly approaches for managing PET plastic waste.

2023 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Genomic and proteomic analysis of Bacillus subtilis as microplastic bioremediation agents

Researchers analyzed the genes and proteins of Bacillus subtilis bacteria to understand how this common soil microbe might be used to break down microplastics biologically. The genomic and proteomic analysis identified enzymes that could potentially degrade plastic polymers, advancing efforts to develop microbial bioremediation of plastic pollution.

2023 AIP conference proceedings 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Isolation, Screening and Characterization of Plastic-Degrading Bacteria From Soil for PWM

Scientists isolated bacteria from soil near garbage sites and identified strains capable of degrading plastic materials, with scanning electron microscopy revealing physical damage — holes and cracks — to plastic surfaces after bacterial exposure within 30 days. The study contributes to the search for soil microbes that could be harnessed for biological plastic waste management. Biodegradation by indigenous soil bacteria could offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to landfilling or incineration of plastic waste.

2026 Current World Environment