microbial-biodegradation
Microbial biodegradation is the use of microorganisms' natural metabolic processes to degrade, transform, or accumulate environmental pollutants in soil and other ecosystems. For plant science, this is significant because healthy plant growth depends on soil quality, and microbial biodegradation processes are essential for breaking down contaminants that would otherwise inhibit plant development. When combined with plant-based remediation strategies, microbial degradation enables the restoration of contaminated lands for sustainable agriculture and ecological recovery.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-02-19
Scientists have discovered that bacteria, fungi, and algae can biodegrade common plastics like polyethylene and PET, offering biological solutions to reduce microplastic pollution affecting soil, water, and ecosystems.
Multiple advanced detection methods now available including hyperspectral imaging, nuclear magnetic resonance, and electrochemical biosensors for accurate microplastic identification and characterization
Specific bacterial, fungal, and algal groups capable of degrading polyethylene (PE), PET, polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS)—the most common environmental microplastics
Genomic and enzymatic research identifies key genes and metabolic pathways enabling microbial degradation, enabling future optimization of scalable plastic remediation strategies