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Current Progress and Potential Microbial Cornucopia for Plastic Degradation

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Advanced Strategies for Biodegradation of Plastic Polymers

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Abstract

Plastic pollution has emerged to be the biggest global concern in the modern day. The production of large volumes and different varieties of plastics has led to their huge accumulation and contamination in environmental matrices. Along with plastics, there are additional problems posed by microplastics and related chemicals like phthalates that leach into surrounding resources, thereby polluting them and causing health hazards to living organisms. Thus, their degradation becomes an immediate concern. Although some strategies like photodegradation have been suggested to tackle plastic menace, microbial degradation has been found to be the most effective one. Several microbes have been isolated, characterized, and screened for plastic degradation. Various screening procedures provide more potent microorganisms that break down a variety of plastics by producing several specific and non-specific enzymes. These microbes constitute bacteria, fungi, and other classes like diatoms and microalgae. In-depth studies linked to potent microbes like Ideonella sakaiensis and establishment of databases like PlasticDB make the process more convenient. Further, advancements in molecular techniques like metagenomics and genetic engineering have opened doors for prospecting newer tactics against this global issue. This chapter deals with the microbial cornucopia that are capable of metabolizing various types of plastics and their allied aspects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Crop Protection, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, India

    Shriniketan Puranik

  2. Meghalaya State Biological Control Laboratory, Shillong, India

    Amanda Shylla

  3. Department of Agricultural Microbiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, India

    M. Manoj

  4. Division of Microbiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India

    D. Vijaysri

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  1. Shriniketan Puranik
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  2. Amanda Shylla
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  3. M. Manoj
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  4. D. Vijaysri
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India

    Ravindra Soni

  2. Department of Botany, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar College, Belonia, Tripura, India

    Prasenjit Debbarma

  3. Department of Science, Vidyadayini Institute of Science, Management, and Technology, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

    Deep Chandra Suyal

  4. Department of Biotechnology, GLA University, Chaumuhan, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Reeta Goel

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Puranik, S., Shylla, A., Manoj, M., Vijaysri, D. (2024). Current Progress and Potential Microbial Cornucopia for Plastic Degradation. In: Soni, R., Debbarma, P., Suyal, D.C., Goel, R. (eds) Advanced Strategies for Biodegradation of Plastic Polymers. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-55661-6_3

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