{"title":"The biochemical mechanisms of plastic biodegradation.","authors":"Ethan Gates, Nathan Crook","doi":"10.1093/femsre/fuae027","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since the invention of the first synthetic plastic, an estimated 12 billion metric tons of plastics have been manufactured, 70% of which was produced in the last 20 years. Plastic waste is placing new selective pressures on humans and the organisms we depend on, yet it also places new pressures on microorganisms as they compete to exploit this new and growing source of carbon. The limited efficacy of traditional recycling methods on plastic waste, which can leach into the environment at low purity and concentration, indicates the utility of this evolving metabolic activity. This review will categorize and discuss the probable metabolic routes for each industrially-relevant plastic, rank the most effective biodegraders for each plastic by harmonizing and re-interpreting prior literature, and explain the experimental techniques most often used in plastic biodegradation research, thus providing a comprehensive resource for researchers investigating and engineering plastic biodegradation.</p>","PeriodicalId":12201,"journal":{"name":"FEMS microbiology reviews","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":10.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"FEMS microbiology reviews","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/femsre/fuae027","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MICROBIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Since the invention of the first synthetic plastic, an estimated 12 billion metric tons of plastics have been manufactured, 70% of which was produced in the last 20 years. Plastic waste is placing new selective pressures on humans and the organisms we depend on, yet it also places new pressures on microorganisms as they compete to exploit this new and growing source of carbon. The limited efficacy of traditional recycling methods on plastic waste, which can leach into the environment at low purity and concentration, indicates the utility of this evolving metabolic activity. This review will categorize and discuss the probable metabolic routes for each industrially-relevant plastic, rank the most effective biodegraders for each plastic by harmonizing and re-interpreting prior literature, and explain the experimental techniques most often used in plastic biodegradation research, thus providing a comprehensive resource for researchers investigating and engineering plastic biodegradation.
期刊介绍:
Title: FEMS Microbiology Reviews
Journal Focus:
Publishes reviews covering all aspects of microbiology not recently surveyed
Reviews topics of current interest
Provides comprehensive, critical, and authoritative coverage
Offers new perspectives and critical, detailed discussions of significant trends
May contain speculative and selective elements
Aimed at both specialists and general readers
Reviews should be framed within the context of general microbiology and biology
Submission Criteria:
Manuscripts should not be unevaluated compilations of literature
Lectures delivered at symposia must review the related field to be acceptable