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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Marine bacteria capable of enzymatic degrading of low- and high-density polyethylene: Toward sustainable mitigation of marine microplastic pollution
ClearGenome mining and screening for plastic-degrading potential in marine bacteria
Scientists found bacteria living on old fishing nets in the ocean that can break down plastic pollution, including the tiny plastic particles called microplastics that contaminate our food and water. These plastic-eating bacteria could potentially be used to clean up ocean plastic waste, which would reduce the amount of harmful microplastics that end up in seafood we eat. This discovery offers hope for a natural solution to reduce plastic pollution that threatens both ocean life and human health.
Microplastics under siege: Biofilm-forming marine bacteria from the microplastisphere and their role in plastic degradation
Researchers isolated and screened bacteria from microplastics collected along coastal beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to assess their ability to degrade plastic. One bacterial strain achieved over 10% degradation of low-density polyethylene, with surface analysis confirming physical breakdown of the plastic. The study suggests that naturally occurring marine bacteria colonizing microplastics may play a role in plastic biodegradation in ocean environments.
The Role Of Bacteria In Microplastic Bioremediation And Implications For Marine Ecosystems
This literature review summarizes how bacteria can be harnessed through bioremediation to break down microplastics in marine environments, cataloging the bacterial species and mechanisms involved. While biological degradation is slow and not yet a practical cleanup solution at scale, identifying effective bacteria is an important step toward developing tools to reduce the long-term accumulation of microplastics in ocean ecosystems.
Bacterial screening in Indian coastal regions for efficient polypropylene microplastics biodegradation
Researchers screened marine bacteria from two coastal regions in India for their ability to break down polypropylene microplastics. They identified several bacterial strains that caused measurable weight loss and structural changes in polypropylene particles over a 60-day period. The study suggests that naturally occurring marine bacteria could potentially be harnessed for biological approaches to reducing microplastic pollution in ocean environments.
A community of marine bacteria with potential to biodegrade petroleum-based and biobased microplastics
Researchers showed that a consortium of marine bacteria could partially biodegrade both conventional low-density polyethylene and biobased polyethylene terephthalate microplastic films over 45 days, with spectroscopic and chemical evidence confirming surface changes and early-stage degradation.
Exploring biodegradative efficiency: a systematic review on the main microplastic-degrading bacteria
This systematic review identified bacteria that can break down microplastics in the environment. Some bacterial species show promising ability to degrade common plastics like polyethylene and polystyrene, offering a potential biological approach to reducing plastic pollution.
Microplastic pollution in aquatic environments: a systematic review of bacterial degradation efficacy, mechanisms, and future pathways
Scientists reviewed 80 studies and found that certain bacteria can break down microplastics—tiny plastic particles polluting our water—by "eating" them with special enzymes. The bacteria work best on some plastics like PET (used in water bottles), breaking down up to 50% in just days, but struggle with tougher plastics like grocery bags. While this bacterial cleanup shows promise for reducing plastic pollution that can enter our food chain, it currently only works well in controlled lab settings, not in real oceans and rivers.
Characterization of plastic degrading bacteria isolated from sewage wastewater
Researchers isolated bacteria from sewage wastewater that can degrade plastic, with two Pseudomonas strains achieving 25% weight loss of plastic pieces over 120 days. Chemical analysis confirmed the bacteria were breaking down and transforming the plastic polymer bonds. These plastic-eating bacteria could offer a green biotechnology approach to reducing microplastic pollution in wastewater systems.
Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Sources, Fates, Impacts and Microbial Degradation
This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution in marine environments, covering their sources, distribution, and impacts on ocean life. Researchers found that microplastics are ingested by marine organisms at all levels of the food chain, potentially affecting both wildlife health and human food safety. The study also explores the promising role of marine bacteria that can break down certain plastics as a potential solution to this pollution crisis.
Phenotypic and Genomic Characterization of Polyethylene-Degrading Bacillus cereus PE-1 Enriched from Landfill Microbial Consortium
Scientists found a bacteria called Bacillus cereus PE-1 in landfill soil that can actually eat and break down plastic bags and containers (polyethylene). The bacteria damaged the plastic's surface and reduced its weight by about 5% in just 30 days, suggesting it could potentially help clean up plastic pollution in the environment. While this research is still early and needs more testing, it offers hope for using natural bacteria to tackle the growing problem of plastic waste that threatens our ecosystems and food chain.
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.
Identification of plastic-degrading bacteria in the human gut
Scientists discovered bacteria in the human gut that can break down common plastics like polyethylene and polypropylene, though all the plastic-degrading species identified were opportunistic pathogens. The bacteria could physically and chemically alter plastic surfaces but only achieved limited depolymerization. This finding raises the question of whether microplastic exposure in the gut could promote the growth of potentially harmful bacteria while they attempt to digest the plastic.
Isolation and Characterization of Polyethylene and Polyethylene Terephthalate-degrading Bacteria from Jakarta Bay, Indonesia
Researchers isolated bacteria from Jakarta Bay, Indonesia, that showed the ability to degrade polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics in laboratory conditions. They identified the most effective bacterial strains and confirmed plastic degradation through weight loss measurements and surface analysis. The study supports the potential of using naturally occurring marine bacteria for bioremediation of plastic-polluted coastal environments.
Putative degraders of low‐density polyethylene‐derived compounds are ubiquitous members of plastic‐associated bacterial communities in the marine environment
This study compared bacterial communities on plastic debris from the Pacific, North Atlantic, and northern Adriatic to identify potential plastic-degrading microbes, finding that putative LDPE-degraders are widespread and common members of ocean plastic biofilms. The widespread distribution of plastic-degrading bacteria in ocean environments suggests that biological plastic breakdown is occurring in the ocean, but at an unknown rate.
Biodegradation of untreated plasticizers-free linear low-density polyethylene films by marine bacteria
Researchers isolated marine bacteria from the Tyrrhenian Sea and found that several strains — including Bacillus velezensis and two Vreelandella species — could break down untreated polyethylene plastic films in seawater, causing mass losses of up to 2.6% over 60 days. This is the first study demonstrating that these bacterial species can biodegrade plasticizer-free, unmodified polyethylene, an important step toward understanding natural plastic degradation in oceans.
Bacteria as Ecological Tools: Pioneering Microplastic Biodegradation
This systematic review examines how bacteria can be used to biologically break down microplastic particles. The researchers identified several bacterial species capable of degrading different types of plastics, offering a potential natural solution to microplastic pollution. Finding biological methods to break down microplastics could reduce the amount of these particles that accumulate in our environment and food chain.
Plastic-Degrading Microbial Consortia from a Wastewater Treatment Plant
Researchers isolated bacteria from a wastewater treatment plant that can break down common plastics including polyethylene and polystyrene, some of the hardest plastics to recycle. The microbial communities worked together to degrade the plastics more effectively than individual bacterial strains. While biological plastic degradation is still slow compared to the scale of pollution, identifying these bacteria is a step toward developing biotechnology solutions for plastic waste cleanup.
Genetic Enhancement of Plastic Degrading Bacteria: The Way to a Sustainable and Healthy Environment
Researchers review how genetic engineering of plastic-degrading bacteria could accelerate the biological breakdown of plastic waste, highlighting promising enzymes and metabolic pathways. Engineering microbes with enhanced plastic-digesting capabilities could become an important tool for reducing the global accumulation of microplastics in the environment.
Isolation and Identification of Indigenous Plastic-Degrading Bacteria from Dumai’s Ocean Water of Riau Province
Researchers isolated and identified plastic-degrading bacteria from the coastal waters of Dumai, Indonesia, finding indigenous microbial populations capable of breaking down plastic polymers. Local plastic-degrading bacteria represent a potentially sustainable biological tool for addressing microplastic contamination in affected environments.
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.
Biodegradation of Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) using marine bacteria isolated from tropical beaches of megacity Mumbai
Marine bacteria isolated from plastic debris buried in beach sediments at seven Mumbai beaches were able to colonize and partially degrade low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic. Identifying bacteria naturally adapted to plastic-rich marine environments is a step toward developing biological tools for plastic degradation, though the process is currently far too slow to address the scale of ocean plastic pollution without significant enhancement.
Bacterial degradation of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics in a mangrove ecosystem
Researchers isolated bacteria from a mangrove ecosystem that can break down polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics, achieving measurable weight loss over 60 days. The bacteria produced enzymes that caused visible surface degradation of the plastic particles, confirmed through microscopy and chemical analysis. While the degradation rates were modest, the study demonstrates that naturally occurring bacteria in coastal environments have the potential to help address microplastic pollution.
Potensi Mikroorganisme Sebagai Agen Bioremediasi Mikroplastik Di Laut
This Indonesian review examines microorganisms with the potential to biodegrade microplastics in marine environments, including bacteria that can use plastic as a carbon source. Identifying plastic-degrading microbes is a step toward developing biological remediation strategies for marine microplastic pollution.
Breakdown of polyethylene therepthalate microplastics under saltwater conditions using engineered Vibrio natriegens
Scientists engineered a marine bacterium, Vibrio natriegens, to break down PET plastic into its basic chemical building blocks in saltwater conditions at moderate temperatures. The engineered bacteria display enzymes on their cell surface that can depolymerize PET without needing any pretreatment of the plastic. This biological approach could eventually help address ocean microplastic pollution, though significant work remains to scale the technology from the laboratory to real-world applications.