Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVII, Issue 2
Written by Andreea TUDOR (DUMITRU)
Plastic can be a good solution for the industry and, even if plastic products might be designed and produced for circular usage, conventional methods production of it and waste management are not reliable solutions anymore. Plastic pollution became a very serious problem for the environment around the world today. Several studies shown us that microplastic is a very dangerous form of pollution and increasing amounts of it can be found in animals and human’s bodies. However, recent studies provide us important data about the involvement of microorganisms in biodegradation of polymer materials. Biodegradation process is based on the ability of some microorganisms to degrade certain plastic pollutants through their metabolic activity. Many microorganisms have the ability to secrete specific degradation enzymes that participates in degrading processes of plastic. In this review we discuss about various microorganisms and their role in plastic degradation. We review different types of approaches and applications of molecular biology used for identifying microorganisms capable of degrading polymers and key genes involved in polymers degradation.
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