Polystyrene Bioremediation: A Perspective on Microbial and Environmental Constrained Interventions

Abstract

The polystyrene is the specific kind of plastics based upon petroleum which is composed of monomers of vinyl benzene (styrene). Regardless of the attraction of polystyrene, multiple organizations and municipalities are enduring an emerging challenge during disposal of polystyrene products and packaging. It is appraised that the products of polystyrene accounts for not more than 1% of the overall burden of landfill resources. It could be a greater health threat for humans also who are on the topmost level of food chain and farsighted styrene monomers of the plastics used in engineering polystyrene has been categorized as a potential humanoid carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). As a few researchers have been published on the degradation of polystyrene plastic but the key point addressed in this review is the recognition of microbial and fungal enzymes which are known at present to be involved in polystyrene monomer plastic degradation. The major bacterial and fungal enzymes involved within the degradation reaction of vinyl side chain include styrene monooxygenase, styrene oxide isomerase, styrene monooxygenase, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) reductase, styrene isomerase and phenyl acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. Omics”-based approaches revitalized the study of PAH catabolism by permitting for an integrative assessment of the biochemical mechanism in charge to degrade PAH including polystyrene on the polluted locations. The applications of such enzymes in procedures that would permit the degradation of polystyrene plastics contaminating niches is a dare for future cohorts of microbiology experts