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Degradation of Plastics Using Nanomaterials

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Handbook of Nanomaterials and Nanocomposites for Energy and Environmental Applications

Abstract

In our day-to-day life, plastics are the most unavoidable material, playing a vital role in human lifestyle. Plastics are organic polymers, possessing high molecular mass of long chains of hydrocarbons and other molecules. Plastics are very stable molecules and not readily degradable or transformable. Hence, plastic pollution is considered as a major serious threat to the environment and other living creatures. There are physical, chemical, and biological methods available to overcome the problem. Conventional biological methods including enzymatic process of plastic degradation are inadequate in efficacy due to environmental constraints. Commonly, landfills and incineration are performed to dispose plastic wastes which cause reduction in water absorbance in the soil, leading to soil infertility. Disposal of plastic wastes into water systems leads to accumulations in aquatic organisms which threatens aquatic biotic systems. Other methods of degradation are time-consuming and less reliable. Nanoparticles possess distinctive potentiality in polymer degradation by enhancing the degradation process through influencing the growth of suitable microorganisms and being great catalysts for degradation or transformation process. There are different forms of nanoparticles available to enhance physicochemical stability and degradability. The present review discusses in depth the different nanoparticles for plastic degradation and the applicability of nanoplastics.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Karnatak University, Dharwad, Karnataka, India

    Muniswamy David, Lokeshkumar Prakash & Jarnain Naik

  2. Department of Environmental Science, Central University of Kerala, Periye, Kasaragod, India

    Jeyabalan Sangeetha

  3. Department of Botany, Karnatak University, Dharwad, Karnataka, India

    Devarajan Thangadurai

  4. Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Karnatak University, Dharwad, Karnataka, India

    Shivasharana Chandrabanda Thimmappa

Authors
  1. Muniswamy David
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  2. Lokeshkumar Prakash
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  3. Jeyabalan Sangeetha
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  4. Jarnain Naik
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  5. Devarajan Thangadurai
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  6. Shivasharana Chandrabanda Thimmappa
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry Science, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico

    Oxana Vasilievna Kharissova

  2. Instituto de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, Mexico

    Leticia Myriam Torres-Martínez

  3. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico

    Boris Ildusovich Kharisov

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David, M., Prakash, L., Sangeetha, J., Naik, J., Thangadurai, D., Thimmappa, S.C. (2021). Degradation of Plastics Using Nanomaterials. In: Kharissova, O.V., Torres-Martínez, L.M., Kharisov, B.I. (eds) Handbook of Nanomaterials and Nanocomposites for Energy and Environmental Applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36268-3_74

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