Advances in microbial degradation of plastics.

Author: Tongyao LIU ¹ ; Yi XIN ¹ ; Xingzhong LIU ² ; Bing WU ¹ ; Meichun XIANG ¹
Author Information

1. State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
2. College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
Publication Type:Review
Keywords: degradation mechanism; enzyme; polyethylene; polyethylene terephthalate; polypropylene; polystyrene; polyurethane; polyvinyl chloride
MeSH: Biodegradation, Environmental; Plastics; Polyurethanes; Recycling
From: Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2021;37(8):2688-2702
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: Plastics are widely used in daily life. Due to poor management and disposal, about 80% of plastic wastes were buried in landfills and eventually became land and ocean waste, causing serious environmental pollution. Recycling plastics is a desirable approach, but not applicable for most of the plastic waste. Microbial degradation offers an environmentally friendly way to degrade the plastic wastes, and this review summarizes the potential microbes, enzymes, and the underpinning mechanisms for degrading six most commonly used plastics including polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polystyrene and polyurethane. The challenges and future perspectives on microbial degradation of plastics were proposed.