Biodegradation of plastics using microorganisms

Plastic is a broad name given to different polymers with high molecular weight, that produced by human and synthesized from oil. With the advances in technology and the increase in the global population, plastic materials have found wide applications in every aspect of life although most conventional plastics are non-biodegradable and their increasing accumulation in the environment has been a threat to plants, animals and human. Bioplastic production and development of conventional plastics degradation methods are the ways that can solve this problem. Bioplastics are biodegradable plastics, made from oil or biomass and degraded by microorganisms. Polymers such as PHA have been considered for medical applications since no harmful by-product are generated during PHA degradation. Furthermore, proteinase K can degrade both L-PLA and prion protein, so the mechanisms of plastics biodegradation can be used in studies about disease related to proteins structure. Polymers used in plastics producing, factors affecting the biodegradability, assessment of microbial and enzymatic degradation of plastics and their blends, and identified microorganisms are explained in this review.