Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Community Medicine, Saveetha Medical College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Thandalam, Chennai 602105, India; Ecotoxicity and Bioconversion Laboratory, Department of Community Medicine, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, Thandalam 602105, India. Electronic address: vinaykumar.smc@saveetha.com
  • 2 School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
  • 3 Department of Biochemistry, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, India
  • 4 Department of Biotechnology, Mar Athanasius College, Kerala, India
  • 5 Department of Life Sciences, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru 560029, Karnataka, India
  • 6 Department of Chemistry, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Avadi, Chennai 600062, India
  • 7 Escuela de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Centro de Biotecnología de los Recursos Naturales (Cenbio), Universidad Católica del Maule, Chile
  • 8 Center of Excellence in Biocatalyst and Sustainable Biotechnology, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
  • 9 Ecosphere Resilience Research Center, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda 10250, Sri Lanka
  • 10 College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
  • 11 Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
  • 12 Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Subtropical Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; Department of Sustainable Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, SIMATS, Chennai 602105, India
  • 13 Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Parc Científic i Tecnològic de la Universitat de Girona, c/Emili Grahit, 101, Edifici H2O, 17003 Girona, Spain; Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, UPES, Dehradun, India
Environ Toxicol Pharmacol, 2023 Mar;98:104045.
PMID: 36572198 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2022.104045

Abstract

Microplastics are the small fragments of the plastic molecules which find their applications in various routine products such as beauty products. Later, it was realized that it has several toxic effects on marine and terrestrial organisms. This review is an approach in understanding the microplastics, their origin, dispersal in the aquatic system, their biodegradation and factors affecting biodegradation. In addition, the paper discusses the major engineering approaches applied in microbial biotechnology. Specifically, it reviews microbial genetic engineering, such as PET-ase engineering, MHET-ase engineering, and immobilization approaches. Moreover, the major challenges associated with the plastic removal are presented by evaluating the recent reports available.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.