Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of typical plastics and its mechanisms

This review summarizes the mechanisms by which common plastic types are broken down by bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms in the environment. Despite their chemical stability, many plastics can be degraded — though slowly — with the pace depending on environmental conditions and plastic type. The paper provides a foundation for developing faster biodegradation strategies to reduce plastic pollution.

2020 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Review on the Biological Degradation of Polymers in Various Environments

This review provides an overview of how biodegradable plastics degrade under different environmental conditions including soil, freshwater, marine, and composting environments. It finds that biodegradability is a material property strongly dependent on environmental conditions, and that many so-called biodegradable plastics degrade far more slowly in nature than in controlled test conditions.

2020 Materials 196 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

The Biodegradation of Plastic by Microorganisms

This review examines how the chemical composition of plastics influences their susceptibility to biodegradation by microorganisms, discussing the diverse biophysical-chemical properties of synthetic polymers that affect microbial degradation rates across different environmental contexts.

2025
Article Tier 2

On the degradation of (micro)plastics: Degradation methods, influencing factors, environmental impacts

This review provides a comprehensive overview of methods for degrading microplastics, including photodegradation, thermal degradation, and biodegradation, along with the factors that influence each process. Researchers found that while several degradation approaches show promise in laboratory settings, no mature and effective method is yet available for large-scale engineering applications or natural environments. The study also discusses how degradation products of microplastics can themselves pose environmental risks.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 371 citations
Article Tier 2

A Mini Review on Recent Insight into Degradation of Environmental Plastics

This mini-review summarizes current knowledge on how plastics break down in the environment to form microplastics, covering mechanical, photochemical, thermal, and biological degradation pathways, and identifies key gaps in understanding how environmental conditions and plastic properties influence degradation rates.

2023 International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Plastic Waste: Environmental Implications and Remediation Approaches

This review examined physical, chemical, and biological degradation mechanisms of microplastics in the environment, including photodegradation, hydrolysis, and microbial breakdown. The authors discussed how degradation generates secondary microplastics and toxic by-products, and reviewed emerging mitigation strategies including advanced oxidation and enzymatic degradation.

2025 International Journal of Scientific Research in Science Engineering and Technology
Article Tier 2

Current progress on plastic/microplastic degradation: Fact influences and mechanism

This review examined current physicochemical and biological methods for degrading plastics and microplastics, including mechanical, UV, thermal, and microbial approaches. Researchers found that while multiple degradation pathways exist, their efficiency varies widely depending on polymer type and environmental conditions. The study highlights the need for more effective and scalable degradation technologies to address growing plastic pollution.

2022 Environmental Pollution 308 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of macro- and micro-plastics in environment: A review on mechanism, toxicity, and future perspectives.

This review examined mechanisms, toxicology, and future perspectives for biodegradation of macro- and micro-plastics, cataloguing microbial species capable of polymer degradation, discussing enzymatic pathways, and identifying key limitations including slow degradation rates and the need for pretreatment to accelerate breakdown in environmental settings.

2023 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

In-soil degradation of polymer materials waste – A survey of different approaches in relation with environmental impact

This review surveys the in-soil degradation of polymer materials — including natural fibers, synthetic plastics, and composites — examining how environmental factors such as UV radiation, microorganisms, moisture, and temperature drive degradation and influence the environmental impact of plastic waste in terrestrial ecosystems.

2022 BioResources 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Microplastics in Soil

This review examines how soil microorganisms, plants, and soil animals contribute to the biodegradation of microplastics, summarizing current methods and their influencing factors as more sustainable alternatives to conventional plastic waste management.

2022 Advances in transdisciplinary engineering 4 citations
Article Tier 2

A comprehensive review on polymer degradation: Mechanisms, environmental implications, and sustainable mitigation strategies

This comprehensive review examined the different ways plastics break down in the environment, including through heat, sunlight, chemical reactions, and biological processes. Researchers highlighted how polymer degradation leads to microplastic pollution, ecosystem disruption, and potential health risks for both wildlife and humans. The study emphasizes that biodegradable plastics, improved recycling, and better stabilization techniques are needed to manage plastic waste more sustainably.

2025 Communication in Physical Sciences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial degradation of plastics: Biofilms and degradation pathways

This review covers how microorganisms form biofilms on plastic surfaces in soils and water, and how these communities gradually break plastics down through enzymatic activity. Microbial plastic degradation is still slow and incomplete, but understanding the process is key to developing biological plastic cleanup strategies.

2019 Agro Environ Media - Agriculture and Ennvironmental Science Academy, Haridwar, India eBooks 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances and challenges in sustainable management of plastic waste using biodegradation approach

This review provides a comprehensive overview of plastic biodegradation as a sustainable strategy for managing plastic waste accumulation. Researchers surveyed recent breakthroughs in identifying microorganisms and enzymes capable of breaking down various plastic polymers under relatively mild conditions. The study highlights that while biodegradation shows promise as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional waste management, significant challenges remain in scaling these approaches for practical application.

2023 Bioresource Technology 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Why have we not yet solved the challenge of plastic degradation by biological means?

This review explores why biological plastic degradation remains unsolved despite decades of research, examining the limitations of microbial and enzymatic approaches and arguing that complementary strategies combining multiple methods will be needed.

2023 PLoS Biology 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Biological Degradation of Plastics and Microplastics: A Recent Perspective on Associated Mechanisms and Influencing Factors

This review looks at how bacteria and their enzymes can break down different types of plastics and microplastics through biological processes. Understanding these natural degradation pathways is important because they could be harnessed to reduce the amount of persistent microplastic pollution that accumulates in the environment and eventually enters the human food chain.

2023 Microorganisms 320 citations
Article Tier 2

Current studies on the degradation of microplastics in the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem

This review summarizes current studies on microplastic degradation in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, covering physical, chemical, and biological degradation pathways and the fate of breakdown products. The review highlights the persistence of microplastics and the limited progress toward efficient degradation under natural environmental conditions.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Classification and microbes involved in Plastic biodegradation: A review

This review classifies types of plastics and catalogues the bacteria, fungi, and other microbes involved in plastic biodegradation, examining enzymatic mechanisms and conditions that facilitate microbial breakdown of synthetic polymers. The authors argue that microbial biodegradation offers a more sustainable and less hazardous alternative to physical and chemical disposal methods such as landfill and incineration.

2024 International Journal of Science and Research Archive
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

Role of Novel Biological Agents in Plastic Degradation and Mitigation Approach towards Bioplastics

This review examines the role of novel biological agents — including bacteria, fungi, and engineered microorganisms — in degrading synthetic plastics and proposes bioplastics as a mitigation strategy to reduce persistent polymer accumulation in the environment. The authors outline the enzymatic mechanisms involved in breaking down major plastic types and discuss the potential of combining biological degradation with bioplastic adoption.

2025 THE ASIAN BULLETIN OF GREEN MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Article Tier 2

Plastics: Environmental and Biotechnological Perspectives on Microbial Degradation

This review explores the environmental challenges of plastic accumulation and the potential for microorganisms to degrade various types of plastics. Researchers summarized recent discoveries of bacteria and fungi capable of breaking down common plastics like polyethylene and PET, though degradation rates remain slow. The study highlights microbial degradation as a promising but still developing biotechnological approach to addressing plastic pollution.

2019 Applied and Environmental Microbiology 821 citations
Article Tier 2

Nature-Inspired Strategies for Sustainable Degradation of Synthetic Plastics

This review examines nature-inspired biological strategies for breaking down synthetic plastics, including enzyme engineering and microbial approaches. The study suggests that mimicking natural degradation processes could overcome the chemical and physical barriers that make plastics resistant to breakdown, offering a path toward more sustainable plastic waste management.

2024 JACS Au 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of microplastics in the natural environment: A comprehensive review on process, mechanism, influencing factor and leaching behavior

This review examines how microplastics break down in the environment through physical, chemical, and biological processes, and what happens as they degrade. As microplastics age and fragment, they release chemical additives and dissolved organic matter that can be toxic, meaning degrading plastics may actually become more harmful to ecosystems and human health over time.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioremediation of plastics by the help of microbial tool: A way for control of plastic pollution

This review covers how bacteria and fungi can be used to break down plastic waste, including microplastics, through natural biological processes. Various microorganisms can degrade different types of plastics by producing specific enzymes, though the process is slow and depends on the plastic type and environmental conditions. While biological degradation shows promise for reducing microplastic pollution in soil and water, much more research is needed to make it effective enough to address the scale of the problem.

2023 Sustainable Chemistry for the Environment 37 citations