Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Biogenic nanoparticles as multifunctional tools: From microplastic-driven atheroma insights to agricultural productivity and biofilm management

This review covers how biogenically synthesized nanoparticles (from microorganisms and plant extracts) are being applied across agriculture, biofilm management, and as potential treatments for atherosclerosis linked to microplastic-driven inflammation — offering greener alternatives to chemically synthesized nanomaterials.

2025 International Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Development
Article Tier 2

Recent Trends in Bioinspired Metal Nanoparticles for Targeting Drug-Resistant Biofilms

This review examines how biologically synthesized metal nanoparticles derived from plants, microorganisms, and marine organisms can combat drug-resistant bacterial biofilms. The authors highlight that these green-synthesized nanoparticles offer advantages over chemically produced ones, including lower cost, reduced environmental impact, and effective antibiofilm properties. The work is relevant to microplastic research because biofilms that form on plastic surfaces in the environment can harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

2025 Pharmaceuticals 6 citations
Review Tier 2

Ecotoxicological and health implications of microplastic-associated biofilms: a recent review and prospect for turning the hazards into benefits

This review examined the ecological and health implications of biofilms that form on microplastics, discussing how these plastisphere communities can harbor pathogens and alter microplastic properties, while also exploring potential beneficial applications of microplastic-associated biofilms.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 31 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of microbiological colonisation of nano- and microplastics (NMP) and their significance to the food chain

This review examined how nano- and microplastics become colonized by diverse microbial communities in aquatic and terrestrial environments, highlighting how these 'plastisphere' biofilms may harbor pathogens and facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes through the food chain.

2022 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploration of Microbial Factories for Synthesis of Nanoparticles – A Sustainable Approach for Bioremediation of Environmental Contaminants

This review explores how microorganisms can be harnessed to produce nanoparticles for environmental cleanup, including the remediation of pollutants like microplastics. Researchers describe how microbial synthesis of nanoparticles offers a cleaner, cheaper, and more sustainable alternative to traditional chemical and physical manufacturing methods. The biologically produced nanoparticles show promise as tools for removing heavy metals, dyes, and other contaminants from polluted environments.

2021 Frontiers in Microbiology 150 citations
Article Tier 2

The threat of microplastics and microbial degradation potential; a current perspective

This review covers the growing threat of microplastics in marine environments, where they enter the food chain and can transfer to humans along with pathogenic organisms, causing various toxic effects. The paper also explores how bacteria and fungi found in ocean environments could be harnessed to biodegrade different types of plastics as a future strategy for reducing microplastic pollution.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Biopolymers: From Production to Environmental Applications—A Review

This review summarizes how biopolymers made by bacteria, fungi, and algae can serve as eco-friendly replacements for synthetic plastics in applications like wastewater treatment and soil cleanup. These natural materials can filter, absorb, and break down pollutants, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional methods. The research is relevant to the microplastics problem because replacing synthetic polymers with biodegradable ones could reduce plastic pollution at the source.

2024 Applied Sciences 41 citations
Article Tier 2

An ecotoxicological approach towards the understanding of the impacts of micro- and nanoplastics in the marine environment

This PhD thesis investigated how micro- and nanoplastics affect marine microalgae and associated microbial consortia, examining how extracellular polymeric substances mediate plastic-biota interactions and how these effects cascade to higher trophic levels in marine food webs.

2025 Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University)
Article Tier 2

Role of microalgae as a sustainable alternative of biopolymers and its application in industries

Not a microplastics paper — this review examines the potential of algae-derived biopolymers (such as alginate, carrageenan, and polyhydroxyalkanoates) as biodegradable, eco-friendly replacements for petroleum-based plastics, highlighting their advantages but noting challenges for large-scale production.

2023 Plant Science Today 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of green microbiology for microplastic remediation: Current progress and future perspectives

This review explores how microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, can be harnessed to break down microplastic pollution through environmentally friendly biodegradation approaches. Researchers summarized current progress in identifying plastic-degrading microbes and the enzymes they use. The study highlights the promise of green microbiology as a sustainable strategy for tackling microplastic contamination, while noting that significant technical challenges remain.

2024 Environmental Advances 8 citations
Article Tier 2

The Importance of Biofilms to the Fate and Effects of Microplastics

This review examines how biofilms — communities of microorganisms that form on microplastic surfaces — affect the fate and ecological effects of plastic pollution. Biofilm formation alters how microplastics are transported, ingested, and degraded in the environment, and the plastisphere can harbor pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria that may pose risks to human health.

2020 IntechOpen eBooks 7 citations
Article Tier 2

(micro)Plastic biofilms: Keeping afloat by carving out a new niche

This review examined how microplastics serve as persistent substrates for microbial biofilm formation in natural environments, creating a novel ecological niche called the plastisphere that hosts distinct microbial communities. The authors discussed how these biofilms alter microplastic surface properties and may enhance the persistence and transport of plastic particles and associated microbes.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Challenges and opportunities in bioremediation of micro-nano plastics: A review.

This review examines biological approaches to removing micro- and nanoplastics from the environment, focusing on microbial degradation and bioremediation strategies. While bioremediation holds promise, challenges remain in identifying microbes capable of degrading common plastic types and scaling these processes for practical environmental cleanup.

2022 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Breaking Barriers in Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Plant-Mediated Metal/Metal Oxide/Bimetallic Nanoparticles: Antibacterial, Anticancer, Mechanism Elucidation, and Versatile Utilizations

This review covers how plant extracts can be used to create metal nanoparticles in an environmentally friendly way, replacing toxic chemical manufacturing methods. While focused on nanoparticle synthesis rather than microplastics, these green manufacturing approaches could reduce reliance on synthetic plastic-based materials in biomedical and industrial applications.

2024 Journal of Nanomaterials 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable coagulative removal of microplastic from aquatic systems: recent progress and outlook

This review examines how natural coagulants from plants, animals, and microbes can be used to remove microplastics from water as a greener alternative to conventional chemical treatments. These bio-based coagulants, especially when combined with nanotechnology, show promising removal rates while avoiding the toxic residues left by traditional chemical approaches.

2025 RSC Advances 20 citations
Article Tier 2

8 Recent endeavors in microbial remediation of micro- and nanoplastics

This book chapter reviews microbial strategies for breaking down micro- and nanoplastics, covering bacteria, fungi, algae, and their associated enzymes. While microbial degradation of plastics is still slow and limited, understanding these pathways is essential for developing practical bioremediation solutions.

2022 Emerging contaminants 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring Sustainable Agriculture with Nitrogen-Fixing Cyanobacteria and Nanotechnology

This review explores how nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria combined with nanotechnology could improve sustainable farming by enhancing nutrient delivery and crop disease resistance. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because developing sustainable agricultural alternatives could reduce reliance on plastic mulch films, a major source of microplastic contamination in farmland.

2024 Molecules 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Microalgal-based biopolymer for nano- and microplastic removal: a possible biosolution for wastewater treatment

The cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. produced extracellular polymeric substances that formed aggregates with both nano and microplastics, flocculating and removing them from water. This microalgal bioflocculant is proposed as a natural, non-toxic alternative to synthetic flocculants for removing plastics from wastewater.

2020 Environmental Pollution 173 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Microbiome Interactions: Emerging Threats and Bioremediation Potentials

This review examines the plastisphere — microbial communities that colonize plastic surfaces — covering how these biofilms influence the fate and toxicity of microplastics while acting as vectors for pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes, and discussing their potential for bioremediation.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Microbiome Interactions: Emerging Threats and Bioremediation Potentials

This review examines the plastisphere — microbial communities that colonize plastic surfaces — covering how these biofilms influence the fate and toxicity of microplastics while acting as vectors for pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes, and discussing their potential for bioremediation.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Review Tier 2

Formation of biofilms on microplastics in the food chain and their role as vectors of transfer of foodborne pathogens (literature review, part 2)

This literature review (Part 2 of a series) examines how biofilms formed on micro- and nanoplastic surfaces in the food chain can serve as vectors for pathogenic bacteria, their toxins, and antibiotic resistance genes — potentially increasing foodborne disease risk beyond what bare microplastic particles would cause.

2025 Hygiene and Sanitation
Article Tier 2

Marine Microbial Assemblages on Microplastics: Diversity, Adaptation, and Role in Degradation

This review examines microbial communities that colonize microplastics in the ocean, collectively known as the plastisphere. Researchers found that these biofilms differ significantly from those on natural surfaces and may include pathogenic bacteria and species capable of partially degrading plastics. The study highlights both the ecological risks of microplastics as vectors for harmful microbes and the potential for harnessing plastic-degrading organisms.

2019 Annual Review of Marine Science 434 citations
Article Tier 2

What is the micro- and nanoplastics impact on pathogenic microorganisms?

This perspective piece reviewed emerging evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics interact with pathogenic microorganisms, potentially enhancing pathogen survival, antibiotic resistance gene transfer, and virulence. The authors highlight the plastisphere as a habitat that may selectively enrich and amplify microbial pathogens.

2025 Frontiers in Microbiology
Article Tier 2

(micro)Plastic biofilms: Keeping afloat by carving out a new niche

This review examined how microplastics accumulate microbial biofilms, creating a distinct ecological niche with unique community composition and metabolic activities. The microplastic biofilm, or plastisphere, can harbor pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, raising concerns about plastic particles as vectors of biological hazards.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)