Microbial Degradation of Plastics and Its Biotechnological Advancement

Abstract

Plastic waste is building up in the environment with an alarming rate. Conventionally, plastic waste is dumped in landfills, incinerated, or recycled; these methods release another form of toxic chemicals and plasticizers like furans, bisphenol A, phthalate, and vinyl chloride in the environment. Nature itself recuperates and maintains sustainable conditions to some extent although it is extremely slow. Exploring the microbes from the environment and enhancing their plastic degradation capability through advanced biotechnological tools would provide an ecofriendly solution. This chapter focused on recent reports on plastic biodegradation emphases on preceding dogmas of plastic hazard and the understanding of standard evaluation methods along with their biogeochemistry in the environment by the microorganisms.