Novel Approach in Biodegradation of Synthetic Thermoplastic Polymers: An Overview
Biodegradation is necessary for water-soluble or water-immiscible polymers because they eventually enter streams which can neither be recycled nor incinerated. It is important to consider the microbial degradation of natural and synthetic polymers in order to understand what is necessary for biodegr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Polymers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/20/4271 |
| _version_ | 1797470131911131136 |
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| author | Raja Venkatesan Madhappan Santhamoorthy Krishnapandi Alagumalai Rajesh Haldhar Chaitany Jayprakash Raorane Vinit Raj Seong-Cheol Kim |
| author_facet | Raja Venkatesan Madhappan Santhamoorthy Krishnapandi Alagumalai Rajesh Haldhar Chaitany Jayprakash Raorane Vinit Raj Seong-Cheol Kim |
| author_sort | Raja Venkatesan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Biodegradation is necessary for water-soluble or water-immiscible polymers because they eventually enter streams which can neither be recycled nor incinerated. It is important to consider the microbial degradation of natural and synthetic polymers in order to understand what is necessary for biodegradation and the mechanisms involved. Low/high-density polyethylene is a vital cause of environmental pollution. It occurs by choking the sewer line through mishandling, thus posing an everlasting ecological threat. Environmental pollution due to the unscrupulous consumption of synthetic polymers derived from petroleum has an adverse impact on the environment since the majority of plastics do not degrade, and the further incineration of synthetic plastics generates CO<sub>2</sub> and dioxin. This requires understanding the interactions between materials and microorganisms and the biochemical changes involved. Widespread studies on the biodegradation of plastics have been carried out in order to overcome the environmental problems associated with synthetic plastic waste. Awareness of the waste problem and its impact on the environment has awakened new interest in the area of degradable polymers through microbes viz., bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. The microbial degradation of plastics is caused by certain enzymatic activities that lead to a chain cleavage of polymers into oligomers and monomers. This review focuses on the biodegradation rate of plastics by fungal and bacterial communities and the mode of action of biodegradation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:33:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2190ef8717574660b0eb6230fb672983 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:33:19Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymers |
| spelling | doaj.art-2190ef8717574660b0eb6230fb6729832023-11-24T02:06:14ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602022-10-011420427110.3390/polym14204271Novel Approach in Biodegradation of Synthetic Thermoplastic Polymers: An OverviewRaja Venkatesan0Madhappan Santhamoorthy1Krishnapandi Alagumalai2Rajesh Haldhar3Chaitany Jayprakash Raorane4Vinit Raj5Seong-Cheol Kim6School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaSchool of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaSchool of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaSchool of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaSchool of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaSchool of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaSchool of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaBiodegradation is necessary for water-soluble or water-immiscible polymers because they eventually enter streams which can neither be recycled nor incinerated. It is important to consider the microbial degradation of natural and synthetic polymers in order to understand what is necessary for biodegradation and the mechanisms involved. Low/high-density polyethylene is a vital cause of environmental pollution. It occurs by choking the sewer line through mishandling, thus posing an everlasting ecological threat. Environmental pollution due to the unscrupulous consumption of synthetic polymers derived from petroleum has an adverse impact on the environment since the majority of plastics do not degrade, and the further incineration of synthetic plastics generates CO<sub>2</sub> and dioxin. This requires understanding the interactions between materials and microorganisms and the biochemical changes involved. Widespread studies on the biodegradation of plastics have been carried out in order to overcome the environmental problems associated with synthetic plastic waste. Awareness of the waste problem and its impact on the environment has awakened new interest in the area of degradable polymers through microbes viz., bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. The microbial degradation of plastics is caused by certain enzymatic activities that lead to a chain cleavage of polymers into oligomers and monomers. This review focuses on the biodegradation rate of plastics by fungal and bacterial communities and the mode of action of biodegradation.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/20/4271plasticspropertiesbiodegradationpollutionenvironmental problems |
| spellingShingle | Raja Venkatesan Madhappan Santhamoorthy Krishnapandi Alagumalai Rajesh Haldhar Chaitany Jayprakash Raorane Vinit Raj Seong-Cheol Kim Novel Approach in Biodegradation of Synthetic Thermoplastic Polymers: An Overview Polymers plastics properties biodegradation pollution environmental problems |
| title | Novel Approach in Biodegradation of Synthetic Thermoplastic Polymers: An Overview |
| title_full | Novel Approach in Biodegradation of Synthetic Thermoplastic Polymers: An Overview |
| title_fullStr | Novel Approach in Biodegradation of Synthetic Thermoplastic Polymers: An Overview |
| title_full_unstemmed | Novel Approach in Biodegradation of Synthetic Thermoplastic Polymers: An Overview |
| title_short | Novel Approach in Biodegradation of Synthetic Thermoplastic Polymers: An Overview |
| title_sort | novel approach in biodegradation of synthetic thermoplastic polymers an overview |
| topic | plastics properties biodegradation pollution environmental problems |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/20/4271 |
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