Toward Microbial Recycling and Upcycling of Plastics: Prospects and Challenges.

ABSTRACT: Annually, 400 Mt of plastics are produced of which roughly 40% is discarded within a year. Current plastic waste management approaches focus on applying physical, thermal, and chemical treatments of plastic polymers. However, these methods have severe limitations leading to the loss of valuable materials and resources. Another major drawback is the rapid accumulation of plastics into the environment causing one of the biggest environmental threats of the twenty-first century. Therefore, to complement current plastic management approaches novel routes toward plastic degradation and upcycling need to be developed. Enzymatic degradation and conversion of plastics present a promising approach toward sustainable recycling of plastics and plastics building blocks. However, the quest for novel en

SUBMITTER: Verschoor JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8985596 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature