Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The Role and Application of Microbial Enzymes in Microplastics’ Bioremediation: Available and Future Perspectives

This chapter reviews how microbial enzymes — including PETases, laccases, and cutinases — can break down microplastic polymers in soil and aquatic environments, and how advances in metagenomics and enzyme engineering are accelerating discovery of new plastic-degrading candidates. While promising, the authors note that no enzyme-based solution is yet scalable enough to meaningfully reduce the microplastic burden already present in the environment.

2023 ACS symposium series 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbe-assisted Enzymatic Degradation of Microplastic

This review examines microbially assisted enzymatic degradation of microplastics as a promising bioremediation strategy, surveying the microorganisms and extracellular enzymes capable of cleaving plastic polymer chains. The authors assess current progress, limitations, and future prospects for applying this approach to reduce microplastic accumulation in terrestrial and aquatic environments.

2024
Article Tier 2

New-Age Bioremediation Strategies to Combat Microplastic Pollution in the Environment

This review discusses emerging bioremediation strategies for addressing microplastic pollution, focusing on the use of microorganisms and their enzymes to break down plastic polymers. Researchers highlight that enzymes such as lipases, esterases, and oxidases show potential for depolymerizing various microplastic types. The study acknowledges challenges around substrate specificity, environmental conditions, and scalability that must be overcome to make enzymatic bioremediation viable at larger scales.

2024 ACS symposium series 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Application of Enzymes and Microbes in Bioremediation

This review covers recent advances in applying enzymes and microorganisms for bioremediation of environmental pollutants, including microplastics, with a focus on eco-friendly alternatives to conventional chemical or physical treatment methods. The authors highlight promising microbial and enzymatic strategies that reduce secondary pollution and offer cost-effective pathways for cleaning contaminated soil and water.

2024 African Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Research
Article Tier 2

Microbial Degradation of (Micro)plastics: Mechanisms, Enhancements, and Future Directions

This review examines how microorganisms can break down microplastics using enzymes like PETase and laccases, offering a more environmentally friendly alternative to other cleanup methods. While microbial degradation holds promise for reducing microplastic pollution and its associated health risks, current efficiency is too low for large-scale application and needs further improvement.

2024 Fermentation 54 citations
Article Tier 2

A minireview on the bioremediative potential of microbial enzymes as solution to emerging microplastic pollution

This mini review explores the potential of microbial enzymes as a sustainable solution for degrading microplastics, discussing recent advances in identifying plastic-degrading enzymes and the challenges remaining for practical bioremediation applications.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Bioremediation of Microplastics

This review examines microbial bioremediation of microplastics, covering the bacteria, fungi, and algae known to degrade different plastic polymers and the enzymes involved. Biological degradation of microplastics offers a potentially scalable approach to reducing plastic contamination in soil and aquatic environments.

2023 BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS eBooks 1 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024
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
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Ecology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Harnessing Microorganisms for Microplastic Degradation: A Sustainable Approach to Mitigating Environmental Pollution

This review surveys microorganisms—bacteria, fungi, and other taxa—capable of degrading microplastics, examining the enzymes, metabolic pathways, and environmental conditions involved, and assessing the practical potential of harnessing these organisms for bioremediation of plastic pollution.

2025 NIPES Journal of Science and Technology Research
Article Tier 2

Enhanced degradation of microplastics by laccase under ambient conditions: Analysis of underlying molecular mechanisms

This study demonstrated that the enzyme laccase can degrade three types of microplastics — polyethylene (PE), PET, and PLA — by breaking apart polymer chains and transforming surface chemical groups, with biodegradable PLA showing the highest degradation efficiency. The mechanistic insights into how reactive oxygen species and electron transfer drive enzymatic degradation provide a foundation for developing enzyme-based treatments to remove microplastics from water and soil.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

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.

2026 International Journal of Education Management and Technology
Article Tier 2

Microbial Degradation of Micro‐Plastics

This review examines the role of naturally occurring microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and algae in degrading microplastics, discussing the enzymatic mechanisms involved, the species identified as effective plastic degraders, and the prospects for applying microbial degradation pathways in bioremediation strategies.

2022 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics on the Environment and Human/Animal Health and Their Enzymatic Removal

This review covers the environmental and health impacts of microplastics across ecosystems and discusses enzymatic degradation approaches, examining how identified plastic-degrading enzymes could be engineered or deployed at scale to reduce MP persistence in the environment.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microbial Degradation of Plastics

This review examines microbial degradation of plastics in the environment, discussing how environmental breakdown of plastics generates microplastic particles that accumulate in plants and animals and cause metabolic disruptions, while exploring the potential of microorganisms to break down plastic polymers.

2023 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Degradation of Plastics

This review covers microbial species capable of degrading synthetic plastics, examining the enzymes and metabolic pathways involved and the environmental conditions that influence breakdown rates. While microbial degradation offers a promising long-term remediation strategy, the review concludes that current rates are far too slow to address the scale of plastic accumulation in the environment.

2023
Article Tier 2

Frontiers in plastic biodegradation: unraveling the mechanisms and impacts of macro- and microplastic pollution

This review examined current approaches to breaking down plastic pollution using microorganisms and enzymes, covering common plastics like polyethylene, polypropylene, PET, and polystyrene. Researchers highlighted several promising biological degradation pathways, including enzymes like PETase and laccase produced by bacteria and fungi. The study suggests that combining genetic engineering of plastic-degrading organisms with circular economy strategies could help address the growing global plastic pollution crisis.

2026 Biodegradation 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioremediation of Microplastics

This review summarized bioremediation strategies for microplastics, covering microbial degradation by bacteria, fungi, and algae along with enzyme-based approaches. Current limitations in degradation rates and the need for enhanced strains or enzymatic cocktails were discussed.

2024 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Bioremediation of Soil Microplastics: Categories and Mechanisms

This review examines biological approaches to breaking down microplastics in soil, including the use of bacteria, fungi, and enzymes. Researchers found that certain microorganisms can partially degrade various plastic polymers, though the process is slow and influenced by plastic type, environmental conditions, and microbial community composition.

2023 ACS symposium series 9 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

Bioremediation of Microplastics by Microorganisms: Trends, Challenges, and Perspectives

This review examines how microorganisms can be used to break down microplastic pollution in water and soil through bioremediation, a process considered more environmentally friendly than chemical alternatives. Researchers summarized the various microbial mechanisms involved, including enzymatic degradation and biofilm formation on plastic surfaces. While the approach shows promise as a green solution, the study notes that significant challenges remain in scaling these methods for real-world environmental cleanup.

2024 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioremediation of environmental wastes: the role of microorganisms

This review discusses how bacteria, fungi, and algae can be used to clean up environmental pollution including plastic waste, heavy metals, and pesticides through a process called bioremediation. These biological cleanup methods are relevant to microplastic pollution because certain microorganisms may be able to break down plastic particles in contaminated soil and water.

2023 Frontiers in Agronomy 315 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