Research Progress in Microbial Degradation of Microplastics

Abstract

The presence of microplastics is increasingly recognized as a major issue in environmental protection across the world, primarily as a result of their long-lasting nature and the potential harm they can inflict on ecosystems.Current methods for degrading microplastics include physical capture, chemical degradation and biological methods.Among them, microbial degradation has received much attention because it is economically feasible and environmentally friendly.This paper reviews the degrading microorganisms, microbial metabolites and microbial degradation mechanisms of three frequently utilized polymers, namely polyethylene, polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate, and analyses the current problems of microbial degradation of microplastics, in order to provide ideas for the research on the development of microplastic-degrading enzyme preparations.