Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS
Volume 30, Issue 1, Pages 30-38Publisher
CANADIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.1139/er-2020-0117
Keywords
Key words; PLA; biodegradation; microorganisms; enzymes; upcycling
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [31961133017, 31961133018, 31961133019, 21978129, 31700092]
- MIX-UP
- NSFC
- EU
- European Union [870294]
- National Key R&D Program of China [2019YFA0905500]
- Jiangsu Agriculture Science and Technology Innovation Fund [CX(19)3104]
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This article reviews the biodegradation mechanism of polylactic acid (PLA), focusing on microbial and enzymatic degradation, as well as key factors affecting degradation efficiency. Additionally, upcycling is proposed as a more recyclable strategy for waste plastic disposal.
Owing to its biosynthetic and biodegradable properties, polylactic acid (PLA) is considered to be a most promising biopolymer that could play a crucial role as a potentially environmentally friendly material for a sustainable bioeconomy. However, its long-life cycle indicates that it cannot be easily degraded in nature. Therefore, understanding the biodegradation mechanism of PLA is important for reducing the impacts of waste plastic and waste disposal. With the recent development of molecular biology techniques, some studies have confirmed that specific groups of microorganisms can facilitate the biodegradation of PLA. Here, recent advances in the biodegradation of PLA (i.e., microbial and enzymatic degradation) and key factors affecting the degradation efficiency were reviewed. In addition, compared with complete degradation through mineralization, upcycling is also proposed as a more recyclable strategy for disposing of waste plastics.
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