Biological Recycling of Polyethylene Terephthalate: A Mini-Review

Plastics have become an inseparable part of our life in the society due to their merits such as low cost, light weight, good mechanical and thermal properties along with easy process ability. Since the last few decades, the unrestrained use of plastics in various fields like agriculture, packaging, transportation has raised a serious issue about its disposal and pollution. An efficient decomposition of plastics takes about 1000 years. Not only there is an increase in the problem of waste disposal of plastics but also they release CO2 and dioxins on burning which contributes to cause pollution. There is a growing concern for use of efficient microorganisms meant for biodegradation of non-degradable synthetic polymer because conventionally used methods for plastic disposal are ineffective for plastic waste management. This review paper focuses on one such type of plastic-polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which is widely used in a flexible packaging application, its manufacturing process and the various effects of waste generated by it on the surrounding environment. This review discusses an overview of various existing plastic disposal methods along with their limitations and mechanism of biodegradation of PET and factors affecting biodegradation.