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Updated: Jul 9, 2025
Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
Published on: May 10, 2013
Sustainable production and degradation of plastics using microbes
So Young Choi1,2,3, Youngjoon Lee1,2,3, Hye Eun Yu1,2
1Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Four), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Plastics are indispensable in everyday life and industry, but the environmental impact of plastic waste on ecosystems and human health is a huge concern. Microbial biotechnology offers sustainable routes to plastic production and waste management. Bacteria and fungi can produce plastics, as well as their constituent monomers, from renewable biomass, such as crops, agricultural residues, wood and organic waste. Bacteria and fungi can also degrade plastics. We review state-of-the-art microbial technologies for sustainable production and degradation of bio-based plastics and highlight the potential contributions of microorganisms to a circular economy for plastics.
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