Abstract
In contemporary times, the term “plastic” represents a family of polymers that are synthetically developed and have the property of being deformed without breaking. Since the beginning of its manufacturing at industrial levels, the amount of the world’s plastic production has already risen over 20,000%. Most of the produced plastic ends up having the sea as the end destination and it is known that there are toxic compounds associated with its decomposition that can cause serious problems to the ecosystem and to marine fauna. Biotechnology, as an area of study that integrates several areas of science, is committing to develop methods that may be useful in reversing the impacts that improper disposal of plastic can cause in the environment. The development of biodegradable materials and faster degradation tests with selected microorganisms have been the most effective biotechnological techniques, although they do not yet have a major impact on existing pollution mitigation. This paper will discuss the current accumulation of plastic in the oceans, as well as some of the biotechnological alternatives adopted to reverse the amount of plastic material discarded annually which ends up in the sea.
Highlights
The environmental impacts caused by human waste are visually perceptible in large urban centers and population clusters
This paper aims to discuss how some biotechnological measures can be useful to reduce the amount of plastic discarded annually in the oceans
According to the data analyzed, there is no visible prospect for reducing the volume of plastic production in the world, since these materials have become so essential in everyday life of practically every society in the world, especially considering the increased consumption of disposable plastic utensils
Summary
The environmental impacts caused by human waste are visually perceptible in large urban centers and population clusters. Of all the plastic ever produced, it is evaluated that 10% had oceans as the final destination (Laglbauer et al, 2014). This fact is of great relevance, as it is known that there are compounds related to the degradation of plastics in the seas that are toxic to marine fauna. These degraded plastics may contain a toxic chemical charge at risk of being transmitted through the food pyramid (Jambeck et al, 2015)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call