Plastics: Environmental and Biotechnological Perspectives on Microbial Degradation.

ABSTRACT: Plastics are widely used in the global economy, and each year, at least 350 to 400 million tons are being produced. Due to poor recycling and low circular use, millions of tons accumulate annually in terrestrial or marine environments. Today it has become clear that plastic causes adverse effects in all ecosystems and that microplastics are of particular concern to our health. Therefore, recent microbial research has addressed the question of if and to what extent microorganisms can degrade plastics in the environment. This review summarizes current knowledge on microbial plastic degradation. Enzymes available act mainly on the high-molecular-weight polymers of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and ester-based polyurethane (PUR). Unfortunately, the best PUR- and PET-active enzymes and micro

SUBMITTER: Danso D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6752018 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature