环境科学与生态学最新文献

{"title":"Life cycle assessment and yield to optimize extraction time and solvent: Comparing deep eutectic solvents vs conventional ones.","authors":"Ibtissam Bouhzam, Rosa Cantero, María Margallo, Rubén Aldaco, Alba Bala, Pere Fullana-I-Palmer, Rita Puig","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177038","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are gaining interest as eco-friendly alternatives for extracting bioactive compounds, but their environmental benefits remain unclear and need further evaluation. In this work, a case study of total polyphenols (TPC) extraction from spent coffee grounds (SCG) was environmentally evaluated using life cycle assessment (LCA). First, the most convenient extraction time (1, 10, 20, or 40 min) for water and acetone 20 % from an environmental perspective was identified. Second, a comparison of different solvents-DES (choline chloride-1,6-hexanediol), water, and ethanol 20 %-under their optimal extraction yield conditions was performed using literature data. Results from the first study revealed that the environmentally optimal extraction time (10 min) was not the one leading to the highest yield. The main contributors to the impacts were the use of acetone and electricity consumption. For the second study, DES performed worse in all studied environmental impact categories compared to both ethanol 20 % and water. Ethanol 20 % was the better option compared to water due to its higher extraction yield (9.2 mg vs. 6.5 mg TPC/g SCG, respectively). The environmental impacts associated with the DES system were primarily attributed to the DES preparation step, which requires virgin raw materials (e.g., dimethyl hexanediol), and the adsorption stage involving the use of resins. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted by optimizing the DES system to the best possible described conditions (90 % reuse of DES and maximum reduction of the macroporous resin used to adsorb the TPC after extraction). Nevertheless, the DES system still performed worse than water or ethanol 20 % systems, in 11 out of 16 impact categories. The study highlights the importance to consider environmental impacts and yield when optimizing extraction processes, especially at the laboratory scale, as the insights gained are valuable for improving eco-efficiency on an industrial scale.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":" ","pages":"177038"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Climatic suitability and development potential of facility agriculture at county-level in China.","authors":"Fangying Tan, Lei Zhang, Yuncheng Zhao, Fan Bai, Jibo Zhang, Amatus Gyilbag","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177108","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177108","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Facility agriculture is a modern cultivation system that utilizes certain facilities and engineering techniques to create a suitable environment for crops growth, which can ensure China's national food security and human nutrition. Both beneficial and limited climatic conditions have influenced the development for facility agriculture. In this study, 12 dominant factors were distilled by using Maximum Entropy model (MaxEnt) to quantify climatic suitability of facility agriculture and its variation in counties across China in 1991-2020. The climatic suitable areas for facility agriculture were mainly distributed in the southern part of Northeast China, North China, central China, southern part of Southwest China, and northern part of East China, especially during 2000-2020. There was a general fluctuating upward trend in the climatic suitability of facility agriculture in traditional advantageous production areas such as Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, and Liaoning. Positive trends in the changes of climatic suitability were detected in central and eastern China where rapid development of facility agriculture could be realized through scientific planning and layout. Western provinces such as Gansu, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia were highlighted as considerable development potential for facility agriculture, with the perspective of developing energy-saving solar greenhouses in especial. These distribution characteristics and potential changes of climate suitability would help to optimize production layout and achieve green and sustainable development of facility agriculture.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":" ","pages":"177108"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Co-developing frameworks towards environmentally directed pharmaceutical prescribing in Scotland - A mixed methods study.","authors":"Lydia Niemi, Naoko Arakawa, Miriam Glendell, Zisis Gagkas, Stuart Gibb, Claire Anderson, Sharon Pfleger","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176929","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176929","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The presence of human pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment is recognised internationally as an important public health and environmental issue. In Scotland, healthcare sustainability targets call for improvements to medicine prescribing and use to reduce healthcare's impact on the environment. This proof-of-concept study aimed to develop a framework on the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals to use as a knowledge support tool for healthcare professionals, focussing on pharmaceutical pollution. Nominal Group Technique was applied to achieve consensus on pharmaceuticals and modelling factors for the framework, working with a panel of cross-sector stakeholders. Bayesian Belief Network modelling was applied to predict the environmental impact (calculated from hazard and exposure factors) of selected pharmaceuticals, with Scotland-wide mapping for visualisation in freshwater catchments. The model calculated the pollution risk score of the individual pharmaceuticals, using the ratio of prescribed mass vs. mass that would not exceed the predicted no-effect concentration in the freshwater environment. The pharmaceuticals exhibited different risk patterns, and spatial variation of risk was evident (generally related to population density), with the most catchments predicted to exceed the pollution risk score for clarithromycin (probability >80 % in 35 of 40 modelled catchments). Simulated risk scores were compared against observed risk calculated as the ratio of measured environmental concentrations from national regulatory and research monitoring and predicted no-effect concentrations. The model generally overpredicted risk, likely due to missing factors (e.g. solid-phase sorption, temporal variation), low spatial resolution, and low temporal resolution of the monitoring data. This work demonstrates a novel, trans-disciplinary approach to develop tools aiding collation and integration of environmental information into healthcare decision-making, through application of public health, environmental science, and health services research methods. Future work will refine the framework with additional clinical and environmental factors to improve model performance, and develop electronic interfaces to communicate environmental information to healthcare professionals.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":" ","pages":"176929"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental pollution by plasticizers and the relationship to vector dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti: Bisphenol A (BPA) affect the development and viral immune pathway response.","authors":"Vargas Valeria, Cime-Castillo Jorge, Moyo-Leyva Alejandra, Garay-Canales Claudia, Lanz-Mendoza Humberto, Morales-Montor Jorge","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177087","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177087","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely used industrial chemical found in various products, leading to human exposure through dietary and non-dietary sources. It acts as an endocrine disruptor, affecting reproductive processes in vertebrates by binding to estrogen receptors. While its effects on vertebrates have been extensively studied, much less is known about its impact on invertebrates. This study investigates the effects of BPA on the development and immune response of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are important vectors for arboviral diseases, such as dengue, an emergent viral disease worldwide. Artificial aquatic niches (AAN) were sampled, and BPA concentrations were quantified. Ae. aegypti larvae were exposed to varying BPA concentrations, and their development, fecundity, fertility, and immune response were assessed. Results show delayed development and decreased emergence of mosquitoes exposed to BPA. Females exposed to BPA exhibited reduced oviposition while hatching rates remained unaffected. Furthermore, BPA exposure altered the expression of immune response genes in adult mosquitoes, with differential effects observed between sexes. This suggests that BPA exposure during early developmental stages can modulate the antiviral immune response in adult mosquitoes, possibly through the 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) signaling pathway. Overall, this study highlights the potential impact of BPA on the development and immune function of mosquito vectors, with implications for vector competence and disease transmission.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":" ","pages":"177087"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Driving sustainability in the sugarcane industry: Life Cycle Assessment of conventional and emerging spraying technologies in Tanzania.","authors":"Paschal Simon Milindi, Elibariki Eliushu Nsenuka, Shauhrat S Chopra","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176963","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176963","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sugarcane dominates global sugar and bioethanol production, involving extensive cultivation and supply chain activities. The sugarcane development encounters challenges, such as climate change, diseases, pests, and water scarcity, affecting growth and yields. Sugarcane management often involves the use of pesticides, which risk soil and water contamination. It also leads to biodiversity loss, high water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy consumption. This study conducted a life cycle assessment to compare the environmental impacts of cropdusters and drones in ripener application for sugarcane farming. The life cycle assessment enables informed decisions on sustainable practices by providing a holistic view of environmental impacts, facilitating comparisons, and identifies hotspots. The analysis examined the impacts of machinery, ripener compounds, and spraying operations. It explored using sugarcane waste (bagasse) as bioenergy for drone batteries or cropdusters. Results show that drones minimize environmental impacts by 11,557 kgCO₂eq, 128,079 MJ, and 103 m³ for 40 ha farm compared to using cropdusters. Also, bagasse from a 40-ha farm can generate 1.93E+09 Wh of bioenergy, enough to charge drone batteries for spraying over approximately 4.9 million ha or to fuel cropdusters for 0.04 million ha of sugarcane. Conclusively, emerging technologies help to reduce environmental impacts and align with sustainable development goals, SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). These goals promote renewable energy, enhance agricultural efficiency, and ensure sustainable resource management, fostering a global transition to sustainable practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":" ","pages":"176963"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The pivotal role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in enhancing plant biomass and nutrient availability under drought stress conditions: A global meta-analysis.","authors":"Fawad Zaman, Muhammad Umair Hassan, Wajid Ali Khattak, Ahmad Ali, Mohamed F Awad, Fu-Sheng Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176960","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176960","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Drought is a serious threat to crop productivity and global food security. About 40 % of the worldwide land is considered arid dryland soil because of a lack of rainfall, high solar radiation, and temperature fluctuations. Though rhizobacteria, particularly mycorrhizal fungi (MF), assist plants in coping with drought stress, an intensive quantitative assessment of their effects on plant growth and nutrient availability is still limited. We systematically carried out a global meta-analysis using 122 peer-reviewed publications comprising 3534 observations to investigate the effects of MF on plant biomass (PB) and nutrient availability (nitrogen: N and phosphorus: P) under drought-stress conditions. The results show that the MF inoculation significantly increased mycorrhizal colonization (MC), N and P uptakes, and plant biomass (PB) at a C:N ratio > 15 by 2171.44 %, 23.74 %, 135.61 %, and 220.91 %, respectively. The MF species Claroideoglomus etunicatum and Glomus significantly influenced the MC, N, and PB concentrations by 2541.68 %, 40.35 %, and 110.85 %, respectively. Moreover, the concentrations of MC, N, and PB were considerably affected by the soil texture categories, with the maximum levels of 4940.04 %, 127.05 %, and 84.04 % found in sandy, clay, and clay loam soils, respectively. In addition, soil pH, crop types, soil textural class, and MF species were identified as vital pedologic factors affecting plant growth and nutrient availability during fungal inoculation. Overall, this meta-analysis addresses gaps in understanding the effects of MF inoculation on plant development and nutrient availability under drought stress.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":"955 ","pages":"176960"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sequential oxidation procedures with KMnO₄: Component characteristics of labile reducing capacity fractions in anaerobic sediments.","authors":"Xuemei Chen, Zhijun Li, Songjie Fu, Lanwei Liang, Xiaohan Liu, Fang Hu, Wen Zhang, Yonghong Bi, Yang Jiao, Sen Gu, Qingman Li","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177126","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177126","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reducing substances are a mixture of different forms and types and play extremely important roles in manipulating the redox status of sediments, benthic habitats, and substance exchanges at the sediment-water interface in aquatic ecosystems. However, little is known about their abundance, forms, and reducibility in sediments. In this study, the procedures were developed to sequentially fractionate sediment reducing capacity (RC) fractions with the pH dependence of KMnO₄ oxidability. The procedures were then applied to 60 sediments from 2 lakes and 3 reservoirs, generating an RC_pH7.0 fraction (oxidized at ~0.48 V [reference: SHE]) and an RC_pH2.0 fraction (oxidized at ~0.95 V [reference: SHE]), and the component of each fraction was characterized. The RC_pH7.0 fraction amounted to 45.4 ± 25.9 cmol e^-·kg^-1 DW, and the RC_pH2.0 fraction amounted to 42.8 ± 22.9 cmol e^-·kg^-1 DW; fraction sizes depended greatly on sediment origin. Reducing organic substances (ROS) were the main contributors to the RC fractions, with mean value of 30.0 ± 24.1 and 38.5 ± 22.2 cmol e^-·kg^-1 DW in RC_pH7.0 (% contribution: 68.0 ± 5.3 % of RC_pH7.0) and RC_pH2.0 (90.0 ± 1.5 % of RC_pH2.0), respectively. The next contributor was Fe(II), with mean value of 13.5 ± 8.2 and 3.8 ± 3.7 cmol e^-·kg^-1 DW in RC_pH7.0 (28.3 ± 5.2 %) and in RC_pH2.0 (9.9 ± 8.6 %), respectively. The smallest component was sulfide (Sⁿ), which had a mean of 2.0 ± 3.1 cmol e^-·kg^-1 DW in RC_pH7.0 and was essentially negligible in RC_pH2.0. The number of electrons lost per mole of reducing substances (N_i) differed between the two RC fractions and among sediments of different origins. N_ROS was lower in the RC_pH7.0 fraction (0.22 ± 0.09) compared to the RC_pH2.0 fraction (0.31 ± 0.12) and significantly related to levels of active Fe(III) and sulfides (Sⁿ) (p < 0.05). The opposite pattern was seen for N_Fe(II) and N_Sⁿ. Based on the compositive reducing capacity (CRC) for the RC_pH7.0 fraction, sediment redox status could be classified as ROS-Fe(II) (3.8 ± 1.7 cmol e^-·kg^-1 DW) or ROS-Sⁿ (10.1 ± 4.8 cmol e^-·kg^-1 DW) (weaker vs. stronger, respectively; p < 0.01). The RC-based index provides a more comprehensive perspective on characterizing sediment redox status compared to the Eh.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":" ","pages":"177126"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sodium dodecyl sulfate rearranges the conformation of transferrin and attenuates its iron-binding capacity.","authors":"Manli Liu, Falin He, Ning Sun, Shaoyang Hu, Xingchen Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177159","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177159","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), an anionic surfactant used in many cleaning and hygiene products, is known for its dermal and respiratory toxicity. However, how this surfactant influences the iron dynamics within the body and the mechanism is unknown. We explored the interaction between SDS and human transferrin (HTF), focusing on the effects on iron-binding capacity and structural changes. Results revealed that SDS exposure led to a significant release of iron from HTF in a dose-dependent manner, changing its structure and reducing the iron-binding ability. Spectroscopic analyses showed that the protein secondary structure and skeleton, as well as the micro-environment of aromatic amino acids of HTF, were destroyed after SDS binding. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) results (ΔG, ΔS, and ΔH were -40.1 kcal·mol^-1, 0.16 kcal·mol^-1·K^-1, and 10.1 kcal·mol^-1, respectively) indicated a spontaneous and hydrophobic interaction with one strong binding site. Molecular docking identified the preferred binding sites, emphasizing hydrophobic forces (with the hydrophobic tail) and hydrogen bonds (with the hydrophilic head) as the primary driving forces, which aligns with the ITC results. Overall, this comprehensive analysis sheds light on the intricate interplay between SDS and HTF, providing insights into potential health risks associated with SDS exposure.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":" ","pages":"177159"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of weather patterns on inter-annual crop yield variability.","authors":"Chris Knight, Abdou Khouakhi, Toby W Waine","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177181","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177181","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Inter-annual variations in crop production have significant implications for global food security, economic stability, and environmental sustainability. Existing crop yield prediction models primarily using meteorological variables may not adequately encapsulate the full breadth of weather influences on crop development processes, such as compound or extreme events. Incorporating weather patterns into crop models could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the environmental conditions affecting growth, enabling more accurate and earlier yield predictions. Our study examines 30 distinct UK Met Office weather patterns (MO30) based on mean sea level pressure. We investigate their association with weather conditions that limit winter wheat yield in the UK (1990-2020). Blocked, negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) patterns create the highest risk of temperatures that are below optimal for crop yield. However, the connection between weather patterns and yield is complex, with differing effects at a regional scale and even at which point in the growth cycle they appear. It was found that anticyclonic weather patterns during sowing, emergence, vernalisation, anthesis, and grain filling exhibit a relationship with good crop yields with a Spearman correlation coefficient of up to 0.55 for a single weather pattern (WP3 during vernalisation in South East England), whilst cyclonic patterns can help during the terminal spikelet phenological phase. The strongest positive correlations were during sowing, emergence, and vernalisation, whilst the largest negatives were observed in anthesis and grain filling. The potential of combining weather patterns with existing crop simulation models to produce earlier and more accurate yield predictions is shown. This would enable effective crop management and climate mitigation strategies, critical to strengthening food security. Projected changes in weather pattern occurrences in the late 21st century will likely reduce crop yields. This is due to increased cyclonic weather patterns, which bring warmer, wetter conditions during the wheat's vernalisation stage, followed by warmer, drier conditions during the anthesis and grain-filling phases.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":"955 ","pages":"177181"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The threat of microplastics and microbial degradation potential; a current perspective.","authors":"Zahid Ullah, Licheng Peng, Adil Farooq Lodhi, Mohib Ullah Kakar, Muhammad Zubair Mehboob, Imran Iqbal","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177045","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microplastics in marine environments come from various sources, and over the years, their buildup in marine environments suggests an inevitable need for the safe mitigation of plastic pollution. Microplastics are one of the chief and hazardous components of marine pollution, as they are transferred through the food chain to different trophic levels, affecting living organisms. They are also a source of transfer for pathogenic organisms. Upon transfer to humans, several toxic effects can occur. This review aims to assess the accumulation of microplastics in marine environments globally, the threat posed to humans, and the biodegradation potential of bacteria and fungi for future mitigation strategies. The versatility of bacteria and fungi in the biodegradation of different types of plastics has been discussed, with a focus on the microbial majority that has been cultivated in labs from the marine environment. We also propose that the exploration of yet-to-be-cultivated microbial majority can be a way forward for employing future strategies to mitigate microplastics.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":" ","pages":"177045"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}