Myco-degradation of microplastics: an account of identified pathways and analytical methods for their determination

Recent advances in fungal xenobiotic metabolism: enzymes and applications

“…The ecological damage caused by plastics such as polyethylene (PE), polyurethane (PU) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has prompted much research on the biodegradation of these polymers by microorganisms. Species of fungi belonging to Aspergillus , Pleurotus , Penicillium and Cladosporium have been identified as plastic degraders and their potential for plastic bioremediation has been reviewed very recently by several groups (Bhavsar et al 2023 ; Solanki et al 2022 ; Srikanth et al 2022 ). In addition to expressing key oxidoreductases and hydrolases, which shorten the polymeric chain, fungi produce surface active proteins called hydrophobins that not only enable adhesion to hydrophobic surfaces but also directly interact with the depolymerisation enzymes (Zhang et al 2022 ).…”

Designing biodegradable alternatives to commodity polymers

“…Commodity polymers including PET, polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polypropylene display environmental lifetimes which typically range from 10-20 years or 500-1000 years. [57][58][59] The best way to ensure that plastic waste does not accumulate is to ensure that the lifetime of any new material represents a lifetime of approximately the same length of the material's use (e.g. the PVC in window frames has a required lifespan of 20-30 years whereas polyethylene food packaging is only required to be stable for periods of months).…”

“…75,134 Identifying enzymes involved in the degradation of polyolefins and elucidating their mechanisms remains a challenge, with limited literature reports in this area. Microplastic biodegradation via fungal biofilm formation, however, has been reported for several polyolefins with the identification of fungal species that act on polyethylene, polystyrene and PVC detailed in a review by Solanki et al 57 The Plastics-Active Enzyme Database (PAZy), reports only two enzymes 135 with the ability to degrade polyolefins, with both enzymes acting upon polyethylene. Despite many publications referring to the degradation of polyolefins, a PAZy search does not lead to convincing biochemical data which clearly identifies enzymes and pathways involved in this process.…”

Microbes Associated with Bioremediation of Microplastic Waste in Nigerian Freshwater Bodies: A Review

“…Of all the microbes that have been researched for bioremediation, fungi have received the least attention (Kumar et al, 2022). Fungi's extracellular and intracellular enzymes break down plastic polymers into monomers and release carbon dioxide and water in aerobic environments, while methane is produced in anaerobic environments (Solanki et al, 2022). Moreover, fungi release hydrophobins, surface proteins that facilitate substrate mobility and bioavailability throughout the bioremediation process (Solanki et al, 2022).…”