Polyethylene biodegradation: A multifaceted approach

Abstract

The inert nature, durability, low cost, and wide applicability of plastics have made this material indispensable in our lives. This dependency has resulted in a growing number of plastic items, of which a substantial part is disposed in landfills or dumped in the environment, thereby affecting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Among plastic materials, polyolefins are the most abundant and are impervious to biodegradation, owing to the presence of strong CC and CH bonds. Nevertheless, naturally occurring biodegradation of polyolefins, albeit limited, has been reported. This observation has sparked research on microbial polyolefin degradation. More efficient and targeted versions of this process could be developed also in the laboratory by designing synthetic microbial consortia with engineered enzymes. In this review, we discuss strategies for the development of such microbial consortia and identification of novel polyolefin-degrading microorganisms, as well as the engineering of polyethylene-oxidizing enzymes with greater catalytic efficacy. Finally, different techniques for the design of synthetic microbial consortia capable of successful polyolefin bioremediation will be outlined.