This study aims to present an overview of plastics degradation pathways in the environment and to summarize current knowledge about degradation rates for different types of commodity plastics under various environmental conditions.

2021年4月1日 · Plastics degrade in the environment due to chemical, biological and mechanic processes. Physicochemical and mechanical properties alter due to oxidation and chain scission. Microplastics are generated as a result of the fragmentation of plastics.

The degradation evidence can be mainly decided by three results of technology: (1) Changes in the plastics/MPs structure, (2) physical loss of plastics/MPs mass, (3) the generation of plastics/MPs metabolites.

2024年8月12日 · This review examines the recent advancements in enzymatic degradation of both commercial-grade and pure polymers, including the effectiveness of enzymes such as laccases, proteases, cutinases, PETase, and MHETase, and the governing mechanisms of degradation across various plastic categories.

2012年11月30日 · There are four mechanisms by which plastics degrade in the environment: photodegradation, thermooxidative degradation, hydrolytic degradation and biodegradation by microorganisms . Generally speaking, natural degradation of plastic begins with photodegradation, which leads to thermooxidative degradation.

Using SSDRs and the typical shapes of plastics products, we estimated the times needed for common plastics products to degrade in the environment (Table 1).

Microbial and enzymatic degradation of waste petro-plastics is a promising strategy for depolymerization of waste petro-plastics into polymer monomers for recycling, or to covert waste plastics into higher value bioproducts, such as biodegradable polymers via mineralization.

2024年4月23日 · Plastic pollution has become ubiquitous in natural and built environments, raising concerns about potential harm to humans and nature alike. Once in the environment, research shows that plastic pollution is persistent and may take between 100 to 1,000 years or more to decompose, depending on environmental conditions.

Due to its versatility and cost effectiveness, the widespread use of plastic has led to significant environmental problems such as pollution and waste accumulation. This review examines various methods of plastic degradation, focusing on their mechanisms, efficiency …

We identify four major areas of future research including: (1) developing the method for reliable estimate of the amount of plastics entering the environment, (2) understanding plastics’ environmental degradation pathways, degradation byproducts, and their human and ecological impacts, (3) expanding the coverage of life-cycle inventory data acro...

Plastic-degrading enzymes have demonstrated promiscuous abilities to bind and hydrolyze various natural and synthetic polymers . An intriguing future direction is to test the ability of the over 100 known PET hydrolases to degrade other types of plastics, including PLA.

Plastic-eating microbes and enzymes capable of degrading multiple types of plastics could help reduce global plastic waste and mitigate pollution.

2024年9月23日 · Plastic pollution is most visible in developing Asian and African nations, where garbage collection systems are often inefficient or nonexistent. But the developed world, especially in...

2024年5月13日 · The database currently has 753 species of microorganisms that were reported in the scientific literature to have plastic-degrading capabilities and 219 proteins described to breakdown plastics. The database is updated bimonthly to keep up with new publications and reports of plastic biodegradation.

2024年9月24日 · Soil Degradation. Plastic pollution in soil can also affect its quality and ability to support plant life. Plastic can alter soil structure, impede water flow, and prevent essential nutrients from being absorbed by plant roots. This leads to reduced plant growth, altered biodiversity, and ultimately, the degradation of soil health.

• Enzyme-Based Degradation: Scientific teams research enzyme solutions that speed up plastic degradation as a means to combat the harmful effects of microplastics. 2. Regulations and Standards. Biodegradable plastics need standardized labeling protocols to succeed worldwide. Lawmakers need to create standards which distinguish biodegradable ...

2024年11月11日 · Plastics do weaken over time due to environmental factors like heat, UV radiation, and moisture, which accelerate degradation. HDPE bottles take about 58 years to degrade, while pipes can last up to 1,200 years in marine environments.

6 天之前 · The research enriches the existing knowledge on the (bio)degradation of common plastics in specific marine environments, contributing to the prediction of plastic lifetimes and the development of new standards for assessing marine biodegradation. It emphasizes the importance of selecting appropriate materials for marine applications and ...

Fungi provide a wide array of enzymes specialized in the degradation of recalcitrant substances and are very promising candidates in the field of plastic degradation. This review examines the present literature for different fungal enzymes involved in plastic degradation, describing their characteristics, efficacy and biotechnological applications.

Environmental degradation of plastics is rapid – hundreds of scientific studies show they degrade faster than most materials. But is That Really True? The public’s perception is that plastics are bad because they don’t degrade.

2025年1月24日 · The UN Global Plastics Treaty is an apt example: after two years and five rounds of negotiations, still no conclusive deal has been brought forward as countries struggle to settle on the details of what would be the first-ever global legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution. Until an agreement is made, plastic pollution continues to ...

5 天之前 · From this early work, which modeled simple coupled chemical reactions, a small but growing number of researchers have used the principles of kMC to model the degradation of polymers.

2025年1月7日 · Plastic water bottles – "We think that single use plastic should be banned asap - certainly by 2040 - as we know single use plastics not only drive a huge pollution problem and kills wildlife ...

5 天之前 · Negotiations to craft the world's first-ever global plastics treaty ended in December without an agreement, but they will continue this year. The EU also recently adopted a new, stricter packaging waste rule that covers all types of packaging, including certain single-use plastics. The U.S. EPA recently adopted a nonbinding strategy to prevent plastic pollution, and …

5 天之前 · COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Seven years ago, the Ohio-based grocery chain Kroger pledged to get rid of plastic bags in all of its stores by 2025. Kroger made the announcement in August 2018, stating ...