The plastic and microplastic waste menace and bacterial biodegradation for sustainable environmental clean-up a review

Environment plastic litter accumulation is a significant concern, needing urgent advancements in plastic waste management. Recent investigations into plastic biodegradation by bacteria and their enzymes are creating exciting unique opportunities for the development of biotechnological plastic waste treatment methods. This review summarizes information on bacterial and enzymatic biodegradation of plastic in a wide range of synthetic plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyurethane (PUR), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Plastic biodegradation is facilitated by Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Brevibacillus, Escherichia, Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Streptomyces, and Rhodococcus bacteria, and enzymes such as proteases, esterases, lipases, and glycosidases. Molecular and analytical procedures used to analyze biodegradation processes are outlined, as are the obstacles in verifying plastic breakdown using these methods. Taken together, the findings of this study will contribute significantly to the construction of a library of high-efficiency bacterial isolates and consortiums and their enzymes for use in plastic biosynthesis. This information is useful to researchers investigating plastic bioremediation and a supplement to the scientific and grey literature already accessible. Finally, the review focuses on expanding the understanding of bacterial capacity to break-down plastic utilizing modern biotechnological methods, bionanotechnological-based materials, and their future role in resolving pollution problems.

Automated summary

Environment plastic litter accumulation is a concerning issue, and urgent advancements in plastic waste management are needed. Recent studies on bacterial and enzymatic biodegradation of plastic provide unique opportunities for the development of biotechnological methods to handle plastic waste. This review summarizes information on the breakdown of various synthetic plastics by bacteria and enzymes. It also outlines the procedures used to analyze biodegradation processes and discusses the challenges in verifying plastic breakdown. The findings of this study contribute significantly to the construction of a library of efficient bacterial isolates and enzymes for plastic biosynthesis, and they provide valuable insights for researchers in the field of plastic bioremediation.