Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Role of Biofilms in the Degradation of Microplastics

This review examines the role of microbial biofilms in degrading microplastics, presenting insights into how microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces may contribute to the breakdown of microplastic particles in aquatic and terrestrial environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

A review on microbial-biofilm mediated mechanisms in marine microplastics degradation

This review examines how microbial biofilms form on microplastics in marine environments and their potential role in degrading these persistent pollutants. Researchers found that plastic-associated biofilm communities are diverse and influenced by factors such as polymer type, particle size, and seasonal conditions. The study identifies knowledge gaps in understanding how bacterial and fungal communities on microplastics may contribute to their breakdown in ocean environments.

2025 Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Bioremediation of microplastics in freshwater environments: A systematic review of biofilm culture, degradation mechanisms, and analytical methods

This review summarizes existing research on using natural biofilms — communities of microorganisms — to break down microplastics in freshwater. Certain bacteria can degrade plastic particles, offering a potential eco-friendly cleanup method. While the approach is still slow and not yet widely practical, it points toward biological solutions for reducing microplastic pollution in our water supply.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 114 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Associated Biofilms and Their Role in the Fate of Microplastics in Aquatic Environment

This review examines how microbial biofilms attached to microplastics in aquatic environments mediate the accumulation and transfer of chemical pollutants, exploring how the 'plastisphere' community influences the fate and ecotoxicological impact of microplastics and co-contaminants.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microbial Colonization and Degradation of Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystem: A Review

This review examines how microorganisms colonize and form biofilms on microplastics in aquatic environments, creating a plastisphere where bacteria and fungi can potentially degrade plastic particles through enzymatic processes.

2021 Geomicrobiology Journal 154 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

Aquatic Biofilms—Sink or Source of Microplastics? A Critical Reflection on Current Knowledge

This review critically assessed the relationship between aquatic biofilms and microplastics, examining how biofilms colonize plastic surfaces and may serve as both sinks and sources of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems.

2021 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Biofilm Formation on Microplastic Behaviour in Aquatic Environments: An Comprehensive Review.

This review examines how biofilms — communities of microorganisms that coat microplastics — change the behavior of plastic particles in aquatic environments, affecting how they move, sink, and interact with ecosystems. Understanding biofilm formation on microplastics is key to predicting where these particles end up and what risks they pose to water quality and aquatic life.

2025 International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews
Article Tier 2

Biofilm development as a factor driving the degradation of plasticised marine microplastics

Researchers investigated how natural marine biofilms drive the degradation of plasticized microplastics. The study found that biodegradation was dependent on polymer type, plasticizer type, and time, with polystyrene containing bisphenol A showing the most degradation, coinciding with increased abundance of putative biodegradative bacteria in the colonizing biofilm.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Periphytic biofilm: An innovative approach for biodegradation of microplastics

Researchers investigated periphytic biofilm as a method for biodegrading microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that biofilm-forming microorganisms were capable of colonizing and partially degrading plastic surfaces. The approach offers a low-cost, nature-based strategy for reducing microplastic pollution in waterways.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 224 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of microplastics: Advancement in the strategic approaches towards prevention of its accumulation and harmful effects

This review assessed advances in strategic approaches to microplastic biodegradation, covering microbial enzymes, biofilm-mediated degradation, and conditions that enhance breakdown rates, with the goal of identifying practical paths to reducing environmental microplastic accumulation.

2023 Chemosphere 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Degradation of Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: A New Frontier in Environmental Bioremediation

This review examines microbial degradation of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems, covering bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes capable of colonizing plastic surfaces, forming biofilms, and secreting enzymes to degrade polymers including polyethylene and PET.

2025 International Journal of Integrative Studies (IJIS)
Article Tier 2

Impacts of Biofilm Formation on the Fate and Potential Effects of Microplastic in the Aquatic Environment

Researchers reviewed how biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces affects the fate and potential ecological effects of microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that biofilms alter particle buoyancy, surface chemistry, and interactions with organisms.

2017 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 1318 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

Recent advances in the relationships between biofilms and microplastics in natural environments

This review summarizes how microorganisms form biofilms on the surface of microplastics in water, changing the particles' physical properties and helping to spread bacteria and genes across ecosystems. These biofilm-coated microplastics can carry harmful microbes into new environments, raising concerns about waterborne disease transmission and the effectiveness of current water treatment methods.

2024 World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm on microplastics in aqueous environment: Physicochemical properties and environmental implications

This review examines how bacteria and other microorganisms form sticky films called biofilms on microplastic surfaces in water. These biofilms change how microplastics move through the environment and increase their ability to absorb pollutants like heavy metals, pesticides, and antibiotics. Biofilm-coated microplastics may also carry harmful bacteria, making them a greater potential health risk than clean microplastic particles.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 353 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro‐by‐micro interactions: How microorganisms influence the fate of marine microplastics

This review examines how microorganisms interact with microplastics in marine environments, including biofilm formation, biodegradation, and effects on plastic transport and sedimentation. Researchers found that microbial colonization of plastics can influence how microplastics move through the water column and enter food webs. The study highlights that understanding these micro-by-micro interactions is essential for assessing the environmental fate of microplastic pollution.

2020 Limnology and Oceanography Letters 283 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm formation and its implications on the properties and fate of microplastics in aquatic environments: A review

Researchers reviewed how microplastics in water attract and support communities of bacteria and other microorganisms that form biofilms — living coatings that alter the plastic particles' movement, help them carry pathogens, and affect how toxic chemicals attached to the plastic are absorbed by living things. Understanding this "plastisphere" ecosystem is critical for predicting where microplastics go and how harmful they become.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 219 citations
Article Tier 2

Beyond the Surface: Biofilms and Microplastics in Aquatic Systems

This review examines how microbial biofilms that form on microplastic surfaces (the 'plastisphere') influence particle transport, degradation rates, and potential toxicity in aquatic environments, including the role of biofilms in carrying pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes.

2025
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