Abstract
Conspicuous usage of plastics at enormous scale in packaging industry in the last three decades has resulted into a colossal problem that is yet to be resolved by researchers and related stakeholders. The egregious level of environmental persistence of plastic polymers and their byproducts has deleterious effects on living beings (plants and animals). Anthropologists have projected that discarded plastics will outnumber fishes in ocean, if the menace remains unmanageable. Microbes are the backbone of all bioconversion processes taking place in ecosystems. They have the ability to thrive in extreme conditions due to their impressive enzymatic machinery. Biodegradation by microorganisms can be carried out either aerobically or anaerobically. Different bacterial and fungal species (including fungal endophytes) are perceived as prospective solution for plastic biodegradation. The present chapter highlights the various investigations describing efficient usage of plastic degrading microbes.
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GS and SY humbly acknowledge institutional fellowship extended by IIT-Delhi. KC acknowledges financial assistance provided by DST-NPDF scheme (PDF/2016/000317). Authors thank CRDT, IIT Delhi for providing infrastructural support.
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Singh, G., Yadav, S., Chowdhary, K., Sharma, S. (2021). Role of Microbes in Plastic Degradation. In: Prasad, R., Kumar, V., Singh, J., Upadhyaya, C.P. (eds) Recent Developments in Microbial Technologies. Environmental and Microbial Biotechnology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4439-2_13
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