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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microbial and Enzymatic Biodegradation of Polyurethane: From Depolymerization to Monomer Valorization
ClearSolving the plastic dilemma: the fungal and bacterial biodegradability of polyurethanes
This review examined the biodegradability of polyurethane by fungi and bacteria, identifying promising microbial species and enzymes capable of breaking down this widely used but environmentally persistent plastic polymer.
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.
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.
Aplicação de microrganismos lipolíticos em alimentos e na biodegradação de poliuretanos
This Brazilian study reviewed the application of lipolytic microorganisms and their enzymes in food processing and in the biodegradation of polyurethane plastics. Lipase enzymes from microbes show potential for breaking down plastic materials including polyurethane foam that otherwise persists as microplastic fragments.
Breakthrough in polyurethane bio-recycling: An efficient laccase-mediated system for the degradation of different types of polyurethanes
A laccase-mediated enzymatic system efficiently degraded multiple types of polyurethane plastics in aqueous solution at mild conditions, breaking polymer chains and reducing molecular weight within days, offering a green biotechnology approach to managing polyurethane waste that conventional recycling and chemical degradation struggle to address.
Structural, functional, and molecular docking analyses of microbial cutinase enzymes against polyurethane monomers
Researchers performed structural, functional, and molecular docking analyses of microbial cutinase enzymes against polyurethane monomers, identifying promising enzyme candidates for biodegradation of polyurethane plastic waste.
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.
Microbial plastic degradation: enzymes, pathways, challenges, and perspectives.
This review synthesizes current knowledge on microbial plastic degradation, covering the enzymes and metabolic pathways involved in breaking down major synthetic polymers, the challenges limiting efficient biodegradation, and perspectives for engineering improved microbial solutions to plastic waste.
Breaking down the plastics paradox: polymer degrading microorganisms
This review examines microorganisms capable of degrading plastics, cataloging the bacteria and fungi discovered to break down common polymers like polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET. Identifying and harnessing plastic-degrading microbes could provide biological solutions to the accumulation of microplastics in the environment.
Effect of Polymer Properties on the Biodegradation of Polyurethane Microplastics
Researchers investigated biodegradation of different thermoplastic polyurethane formulations in compost, finding that the ester bond chemistry of polyurethanes enables some degree of hydrolytic degradation. The rate and extent of biodegradation varied substantially with polymer chemistry, with ester-based polyurethanes degrading faster than ether-based types.
Microbes in Plastic Degradation
This review examines how microorganisms can break down common plastics like polyethylene and PET through enzymatic processes. Researchers summarized the key bacterial and fungal species capable of degrading plastics and the conditions that affect degradation rates. The study highlights that while microbial plastic degradation is promising, natural breakdown is slow and more research is needed to make biological solutions practical at scale.
Microbial and Enzymatic Degradation of Synthetic Plastics
This review examines microorganisms and enzymes that show promise for breaking down common synthetic plastics like polyethylene, PET, and polystyrene. While natural biodegradation of these materials is extremely slow, researchers have identified certain bacteria, fungi, and enzymes that can accelerate the process, pointing toward potential biological solutions for plastic pollution.
Microbial Degradation and Valorization of Plastic Wastes
This review covers recent advances in microbial and enzymatic degradation of synthetic plastic wastes, summarizing the microorganisms and enzymes capable of attacking different polymer types and assessing the prospects for biological plastic waste treatment at scale.
Understanding visible light and microbe-driven degradation mechanisms of polyurethane plastics: Pathways, property changes, and product analysis
Researchers found that polyurethane plastics break down in water through a combination of microbial action and light exposure, producing secondary microplastics as they degrade. This study reveals a previously underappreciated source of microplastic pollution, since polyurethane is widely used in coatings, foams, and other products that often end up in waterways.
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.
Discovery of Plastics-degrading Enzymes
This review examines the discovery and characterization of plastic-degrading enzymes, exploring microbial strategies for breaking down synthetic polymers that persist in the environment for up to 1,000 years. The paper discusses enzyme mechanisms, substrate specificity, and the potential of biological degradation to address the global plastic waste crisis driven by poor recycling practices.
Review on the current status of polymer degradation: a microbial approach
This review catalogued the bacteria and fungi capable of degrading synthetic polymers, identifying dominant species like Pseudomonas and Aspergillus and arguing that microbial enzymes hold significant potential as tools for biological plastic breakdown.
Microbial Biodegradation of Plastics and Microplastics: Enzymatic Mechanisms, Biotechnological Applications, and Ecotoxicological Perspectives
This review examined the enzymatic mechanisms by which microorganisms degrade plastics and microplastics, covering biotechnological applications and ecotoxicological perspectives. Researchers found that certain bacterial and fungal enzymes can break down persistent plastic polymers, positioning microbial biodegradation as a promising sustainable remediation approach, though scalability and environmental deployment remain challenges.
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.
Microbial enzymes for plastic degradation: a comprehensive review of current status and emerging trends
This comprehensive review examines the current state of microbial enzyme research for degrading common plastics including PET, polyurethane, polyethylene, polystyrene, and PVC. Researchers highlight recent advances in enzyme discovery using computational tools, machine learning, and AI-assisted approaches, while noting that harnessing these biological systems could offer a sustainable alternative to conventional plastic waste management.
Plastics degradation by hydrolytic enzymes: the Plastics-Active Enzymes Database - PAZy
This paper introduces the Plastics-Active Enzymes Database (PAZy), cataloging the small number of currently known enzymes that can degrade plastic polymers including PET and polyurethane. Having a centralized database of plastic-degrading enzymes is a critical step for accelerating research into enzymatic plastic breakdown.
Role of Various Microbes and Their Enzymatic Mechanisms for Biodegradation of Microplastics
This review examines the microbial enzymes and degradation mechanisms responsible for biodegrading microplastic polymers, covering bacterial, fungal, and algal systems that have evolved plastic-degrading capabilities over the past 150 years of plastic production. The authors survey the most promising enzymatic pathways and organisms for biotechnological application in microplastic remediation.
Degradation of polystyrene plastics by alkane monooxygenase and alcohol dehydrogenase
Researchers investigated the ability of alkane monooxygenase and alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes to degrade polystyrene plastics, identifying a microbial enzymatic pathway capable of breaking down this highly persistent polymer that ranks among the six most commercially important plastics worldwide.
Microbial Biodegradation of Plastic: A Noble Approach
This review examines microbial biodegradation of synthetic plastics as an alternative to conventional disposal methods, highlighting the capacity of diverse microorganisms to degrade recalcitrant polymers including those involved in agricultural, construction, health, and consumer goods applications. Researchers survey mechanisms by which bacteria and fungi break down non-degradable synthetic polymers such as polyethylene, polystyrene, and PVC.