Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Soil Microplastic Remediation: Exploring the Role of Microorganism/PGPR in Sustainable Cleanup

This review explored the role of microorganisms and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in bioremediation of microplastic-contaminated soils, summarizing evidence that microbial communities can degrade or immobilize plastic particles and discussing practical strategies for field application.

2023 ACS symposium series 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Biological Degradation of Polyethylene Terephthalate by Rhizobacteria

Researchers isolated rhizobacteria — bacteria associated with plant roots — that can biodegrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic. This finding suggests that soil bacteria near plants may contribute to plastic breakdown in contaminated soils, though degradation rates remain slow.

2022 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microorganism-Based Bioremediation Approach for Plastics and Microplastics Wastes

Soil bacteria were isolated and screened for plastic-degrading capacity, with one of five isolates showing the highest low-density polyethylene (LDPE) degradation, demonstrating that soil-derived actinobacteria and other bacteria can contribute to bioremediation of plastic waste.

2024
Article Tier 2

Effects of micro and nanoplastics on plant-assisted bioremediation for contaminated soil recovery: A review

This review examines how the growing presence of micro- and nanoplastics in contaminated soils affects plant-assisted bioremediation, finding that microplastics disrupt the plant-microbe rhizosphere interactions that make phytoremediation effective for removing heavy metals and degrading organic pollutants.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Rhizosphere microbiome metagenomics in PGPR-mediated alleviation of combined stress from polypropylene microplastics and Cd in hybrid Pennisetum

Researchers found that beneficial soil bacteria (PGPR) can help plants cope with the combined stress of polypropylene microplastics and the toxic heavy metal cadmium. The bacteria improved plant growth by 8-42% under contaminated conditions by reshaping the microbial community around plant roots. This study offers a potential strategy for maintaining crop productivity in farmland contaminated with both microplastics and heavy metals.

2025 Frontiers in Microbiology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Regulatory Mechanisms of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria in Alleviating Microplastic and Heavy Metal Combined Pollution: Insights from Plant Growth and Metagenomic Analysis

Researchers used metagenomic sequencing to investigate how plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) mitigate the combined toxicity of microplastics and heavy metals on plant growth. PGPB inoculation restored rhizosphere microbial function and reduced plant stress, revealing microbiome-mediated mechanisms for alleviating mixed pollutant toxicity.

2025 Agronomy
Article Tier 2

Enhanced remediation of petroleum in soil by petroleum-degrading bacterium strain TDYN1 and the effects of microplastics

Researchers conducted a pot experiment to evaluate the petroleum hydrocarbon degradation capability of bacterium strain TDYN1 in soil and to assess how microplastics affect the bioremediation process. They found that while TDYN1 effectively degraded total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), the presence of microplastics in soil influenced degradation dynamics, with implications for in situ bioremediation strategies.

2025 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of naphthalene mediated by the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria

Researchers compared two strains of Paenibacillus polymyxa bacteria for their ability to break down naphthalene — a toxic aromatic hydrocarbon found in petroleum products and plastic additives — in both liquid and soil settings. One strain was significantly more effective. Identifying effective bacteria for breaking down plastic-associated pollutants is relevant to bioremediation of contaminated environments.

2021
Article Tier 2

Microbial remediation of microplastic-contaminated soil, focusing on mechanisms, benefits, and research gaps

This systematic review examines microbial bioremediation of microplastic-contaminated soils, covering the sources and distribution of soil microplastics, their physicochemical interactions with soil microbiomes, and the mechanisms by which soil-dwelling bacteria and fungi degrade plastic polymers.

2025 npj Emerging Contaminants 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Decay of low-density polyethylene by bacteria extracted from earthworm's guts: A potential for soil restoration

Researchers isolated bacteria from earthworm guts that were able to degrade low-density polyethylene, demonstrating that intestinal microbes from soil invertebrates may play a role in plastic breakdown. The findings suggest that earthworm gut microbiomes are a reservoir of plastic-degrading bacteria with potential applications for bioremediation of LDPE-contaminated soils.

2017 The Science of The Total Environment 436 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface adhesion and multienzyme pathways drive low-density polyethylene microplastic biodegradation by soil bacteria

Researchers identified two soil bacteria — Rhodococcus koreensis MFB1 and Gordonia hongkongensis MFB5 — capable of degrading low-density polyethylene microplastics by 13.3% and 12.2% weight reduction over 30 days, with laccase activity, surface hydrophobicity, and multienzyme pathways including alkane monooxygenases and beta-oxidation enzymes driving the degradation.

2025 Environmental Engineering Research
Article Tier 2

Potential strategies for bioremediation of microplastic contaminated soil

Researchers reviewed emerging bioremediation strategies for removing microplastics from contaminated soil, highlighting the roles of plants, root-zone microbes, soil animals like earthworms, and specialized bacteria and fungi that can use enzymes to break down plastic polymers into harmless compounds. While genetic engineering of microbes shows promise for accelerating degradation, the review notes that real-world application at scale still requires significant research and development.

2024 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Harnessing beneficial bacteria to remediate antibiotic-polluted agricultural soils: integrating source diversity, bioavailability modulators, and ecological impacts

This review examines how plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) can be used to remediate antibiotic-contaminated agricultural soils, covering the diversity of bacterial mechanisms and ecological risks. It also discusses how microplastics in soil interact with antibiotic persistence and resistance gene spread.

2025 Frontiers in Microbiology
Article Tier 2

Deciphering the response of nodule bacteriome homeostasis in the bulk soil-rhizosphere-root-nodule ecosystem to soil microplastic pollution

Researchers examined how polyethylene microplastic contamination in soil affects the bacterial communities associated with legume plant root nodules. They found that microplastic treatments accelerated nodule formation but disrupted the balance of beneficial nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the nodules. The study suggests that soil microplastic pollution may interfere with the symbiotic relationship between legume crops and their nitrogen-fixing bacterial partners.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction effects and mechanisms of microorganisms and microplastics in soil environment

This review examines how microplastics and soil microorganisms interact: microplastics disrupt soil structure, reduce water retention, and impede plant root growth, while certain bacteria and fungi can colonize and partially degrade plastic particles through a multi-step process involving colonization, fragmentation, assimilation, and mineralization. Different polymer types (PE, PP, PS, PVC, PET) attract different microbial communities, and factors like temperature, moisture, and plastic additives affect degradation rates. Understanding these interactions is key to assessing long-term soil health impacts and developing microbial strategies to reduce plastic accumulation in agricultural soils.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

A New Approach for Remediating Polyethylene Microplastics Pollution in Agricultural Soils: The Combined Effects of Compound Microbial Agent

Researchers developed a compound microbial agent containing plastic-degrading microbes and tested it in field conditions on honeydew melon and eggplant farms, finding it effectively decomposed polyethylene microplastics in soil while also improving plant growth and soil properties.

2025 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Article Tier 2

A New Approachfor Remediating Polyethylene MicroplasticsPollution in Agricultural Soils: The Combined Effects of CompoundMicrobial Agent

Researchers developed a compound microbial agent capable of degrading polyethylene microplastics and tested it in honeydew melon and eggplant fields, finding it reduced soil microplastic levels while also improving plant growth and overall soil health.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Mitigating the effects of polyethylene microplastics on Pisum sativum L. quality by applying microplastics-degrading bacteria: A field study

A field experiment found that adding microplastic-degrading bacteria to polyethylene microplastic-contaminated pea cropland mitigated the effects on soil hydrolyzable nitrogen content, increased Shannon diversity of soil microorganisms, and partially restored normal soil microbial community structure.

2024 Environmental Research 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Isolation of a soil bacterium for remediation of polyurethane and low-density polyethylene: a promising tool towards sustainable cleanup of the environment.

A soil bacterium tentatively classified in the Pseudomonas genus was found to biodegrade both polyurethane and low-density polyethylene plastics. The discovery of a single bacterial strain capable of degrading two different types of plastic is a step toward developing practical microbial tools for plastic waste remediation.

2021 3 Biotech
Article Tier 2

The Structural and Functional Responses of Rhizosphere Bacteria to Biodegradable Microplastics in the Presence of Biofertilizers

Researchers studied how biodegradable microplastics interact with biofertilizers in crop soils and found that even though biodegradable plastics are designed as greener alternatives, they still significantly altered soil bacterial communities and disrupted carbon metabolism pathways. The findings suggest that biodegradable microplastics may affect soil health differently than conventional plastics, but are not necessarily harmless.

2024 Plants 4 citations