Papers

61,005 results
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Review Tier 2

A focused review on recycling and hydrolysis techniques of polyethylene terephthalate

This review examines techniques for recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET), one of the most common plastics found as microplastic pollution. Chemical recycling through hydrolysis shows the most promise for breaking PET back into its original building blocks for reuse. Improving PET recycling is important because reducing plastic waste at the source is one of the most effective ways to decrease microplastic contamination in the environment.

2023 Polymer Engineering and Science 154 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, analysis, and toxicity of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics: a review

This review focuses on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), one of the most common types of plastic found as microplastic contamination in food, beverages, dust, wildlife, and human tissues. The authors found major inconsistencies in how researchers measure and detect PET microplastics, making it difficult to accurately assess health risks. Better standardized methods are needed to understand the true scope of PET contamination.

2025 Environmental Chemistry Letters 20 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microbial degradation of polyethylene terephthalate: a systematic review

This systematic review examines how microorganisms like bacteria and fungi can break down PET plastic, one of the most common types of plastic waste. The research identifies several promising biological approaches that could help reduce plastic pollution without the harmful side effects of chemical recycling methods. Finding better ways to break down plastic waste is critical for reducing the microplastics that end up in our water, food, and bodies.

2022 SN Applied Sciences 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Management of Microplastic Pollutions from PET Bottles: Overview and Mitigation Strategies

Researchers reviewed the environmental impact of PET bottle degradation and strategies for managing the resulting microplastic pollution. The study highlights that PET bottle usage continues to grow, and its breakdown releases low-molecular-weight compounds and microplastics, while outlining mitigation approaches including improved recycling and waste management practices.

2025 Applied Sciences 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanical and Thermal Properties of HDPE/PET Microplastics, Applications, and Impact on Environment and Life

Researchers reviewed the mechanical and thermal properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics, which persist in the environment for many years due to their resistance to degradation. The study examines how these widely produced plastics become microplastic pollutants distributed throughout freshwater and ocean environments, and discusses their potential impacts on living organisms.

2023 Environmental sciences 24 citations
Article Tier 2

An Overview of the Sorption Studies of Contaminants on Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Microplastics in the Marine Environment

This review examines how polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics adsorb and release both organic and metallic contaminants in the marine environment. Researchers analyzed the sorption mechanisms and kinetic models used to study how pollutants bind to PET particles. The study underscores the growing concern that PET microplastics, one of the most common plastics found in ocean pollution, may serve as carriers for toxic chemicals in marine ecosystems.

2021 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, toxicity and remediation of polyethylene terephthalate plastics. A review

Researchers reviewed the full lifecycle of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) — the plastic used in beverage bottles and synthetic clothing — covering its environmental occurrence from groundwater to sediment, human health effects including stem cell disruption, and physical, chemical, and biological degradation pathways.

2022 Environmental Chemistry Letters 281 citations
Article Tier 2

Rheology of Recycled PET

This review examines how recycling changes the physical properties of PET plastic, the material used in most beverage bottles. Each recycling cycle degrades the polymer chains, weakening the material's mechanical and flow properties. Understanding PET degradation through recycling is relevant because improperly recycled plastic contributes to microplastic generation in the environment.

2023 Materials 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Synthesis and characterization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) precursors and potential degradation products: Toxicity study and application in discovery of novel PETases

Scientists synthesized and characterized the toxic breakdown products of PET plastic (used in bottles and packaging) and evaluated their ecotoxicity, finding that some degradation intermediates are more harmful than the intact polymer. As more biotechnological approaches are developed to break down PET in the environment, understanding the toxicity of breakdown products is critical.

2021 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

СУЧАСНЕ УЯВЛЕННЯ ПРО ПЕРЕБІГ ПРОЦЕСІВ ДЕСТРУКЦІЇ ПОЛІЕТИЛЕНТЕРЕФТАЛАТУ

This Ukrainian review summarizes current understanding of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) degradation mechanisms, including hydrolysis, thermal, photodegradation, and mechanical breakdown. Understanding how PET degrades is important because it is one of the most abundant plastics that fragments into microplastics in the environment.

2023 Journal of Chemistry and Technologies 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Kompozyty PET i ich zastosowanie w obliczu wyzwań zielonej chemii – przegląd literaturowy

This Polish-language literature review covers recycling technologies for PET packaging and its applications in a circular economy framework, discussing mechanical and chemical recycling methods, and the role of the 6R principle in sustainable material management. The review is not directly focused on microplastics research.

2025 Polimery 3 citations
Article Tier 2

High-Value Oil–Water Separation Materials Prepared from Waste Polyethylene Terephthalate

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper describes a method for recycling waste PET plastic into a hydrophobic coating for stainless steel mesh, producing an oil-water separation material with high separation efficiency as a way to repurpose plastic waste.

2023 Molecules 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Perspectives on the Role of Enzymatic Biocatalysis for the Degradation of Plastic PET

This review discusses the role of enzymatic biocatalysis in PET plastic degradation, examining how the discovery of PETase and subsequent enzyme engineering have advanced biodegradation as an alternative to chemical and mechanical recycling for one of the most produced plastics globally.

2021 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Utilization of Plastic Waste for Developing Composite Bricks and Enhancing Mechanical Properties: A Review on Challenges and Opportunities

This review of research on plastic waste composite bricks found that PET has the highest recycling efficiency among plastics used for brick production and highlights the need for standardized specifications, contamination assessments, and policy frameworks to promote wider adoption.

2023 Advances in Polymer Technology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of Plastic Pollution in the Environment: A Review.

This review covers the key characteristics of plastic pollution — including sources, abundance, transport, and degradation — across different environmental compartments. It synthesizes knowledge about what makes plastic pollution persistent and widespread, providing a foundation for understanding microplastic formation and behavior in the environment.

2021 Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology
Article Tier 2

재활용 PET 투수블록과 시멘트 투수블록의 환경영향 비교평가에 관한 연구

This Korean study developed an environmental impact assessment method for permeable pavement blocks made from recycled PET plastic, measuring microplastic release through abrasion testing. The results help evaluate whether recycled plastic building materials contribute to microplastic pollution in the surrounding environment.

2021 한국폐기물자원순환학회지
Article Tier 2

A Revision for the Different Reuses of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Water Bottles

This review examined different strategies for reusing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) water bottles, highlighting their significant carbon footprint and waste generation while exploring sustainable recycling and repurposing approaches to reduce plastic pollution.

2022 Sustainability 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Current Knowledge on Polyethylene Terephthalate Degradation by Genetically Modified Microorganisms

This review covers genetically modified microorganisms engineered to degrade polyethylene terephthalate, examining how bioengineering of enzymes such as PETase and enhanced expression systems can overcome the low biodegradation rates of wild-type microorganisms toward this ubiquitous plastic.

2021 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 92 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in research from plastic materials to microplastics

This review traced recent advances in understanding plastic material degradation into microplastics, covering mechanical, photochemical, and biological fragmentation pathways and reviewing current knowledge on environmental fate and biological effects.

2024 Zastita materijala 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Strategies for Electrochemical Recycling of Plastic Polyethylene Terephthalate‐Derived Ethylene Glycol Into High‐Value Chemicals

This paper reviews new methods for recycling PET plastic waste, the most common plastic in bottles and packaging, using electricity from renewable sources. By converting PET-derived chemicals into high-value products through electrocatalysis, this approach could help reduce both plastic pollution and microplastic contamination in the environment.

2025 Advanced Energy Materials 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of PET: Current Status and Application Aspects

This review covered the current status of PET biodegradation, focusing on the discovery and mechanism of PET hydrolytic enzymes from Ideonella sakaiensis and the pathway from enzyme identification to potential bioremediation application. The authors assess progress toward commercializing enzymatic PET degradation and identify remaining technical barriers for large-scale plastic waste management.

2019 ACS Catalysis 614 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2017 Microbial Biotechnology 788 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of the release of microplastics during the use phase of products from the plastics industry

Researchers investigated microplastic release during the use phase of plastic consumer products across multiple product categories from the plastics industry, examining how ordinary use conditions generate plastic particles that enter food and the environment. The study contributes to understanding the full microplastic lifecycle as the plastics industry transitions toward reuse-oriented product models.

2025 theses.fr (ABES)
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in screening and identification of PET-degrading enzymes

Researchers reviewed recent advances in discovering and engineering enzymes capable of breaking down PET plastic, one of the most widely produced and persistent plastic types. They examined screening methods including metagenomic mining and machine learning approaches that have accelerated the identification of promising PET-degrading enzymes. The study suggests that enzymatic recycling could become a viable, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional PET disposal methods.

2024 Environmental Reviews 7 citations