Microbial degradation of polylactic acid bioplastic


Citation

Noor Dina Muhd Noor, . and Nor Hafizah Ahmad Kamarudin, . and Raja Noor Zaliha Raja Abd. Rahman, . Microbial degradation of polylactic acid bioplastic. pp. 299-317. ISSN 2672-7226

Abstract

In modern urban society plastic has become a major component in many applications. Despite their usefulness plastics are known for their alarming resistance to biodegradation and therefore pose a huge burden on the environment. The surge in plastic waste has led to the development of biodegradable plastics. Biodegradable plastics are perceived to be one of the sustainable ways to reduce plastic wastes. Among the biodegradable plastics polylactic acid (PLA) a bio-based plastic has been widely used for diverse applications. PLA however is known to be less susceptible to biodegradation and requires longer time to degrade in the natural environment compared to other aliphatic polyesters. Therefore identification of PLA-degraders is the current focus of research. Potential PLA-degraders have been isolated from various sources but the number is still limited. Considering temperature as one of the important factors in biodegradation in this review we categorize PLA degraders into three groups; thermophilic mesophilic and psychrophilic and discuss their relevance to PLA biodegradation. Enzymes associated with PLA degradation are described according to their temperature preference. One of the current limitations is the structural insights into the catalytic mechanism. Discovery of more PLA-degraders and understanding of the mechanism could aid in designing strategies to accelerate the biodegradation process.


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Abstract

In modern urban society plastic has become a major component in many applications. Despite their usefulness plastics are known for their alarming resistance to biodegradation and therefore pose a huge burden on the environment. The surge in plastic waste has led to the development of biodegradable plastics. Biodegradable plastics are perceived to be one of the sustainable ways to reduce plastic wastes. Among the biodegradable plastics polylactic acid (PLA) a bio-based plastic has been widely used for diverse applications. PLA however is known to be less susceptible to biodegradation and requires longer time to degrade in the natural environment compared to other aliphatic polyesters. Therefore identification of PLA-degraders is the current focus of research. Potential PLA-degraders have been isolated from various sources but the number is still limited. Considering temperature as one of the important factors in biodegradation in this review we categorize PLA degraders into three groups; thermophilic mesophilic and psychrophilic and discuss their relevance to PLA biodegradation. Enzymes associated with PLA degradation are described according to their temperature preference. One of the current limitations is the structural insights into the catalytic mechanism. Discovery of more PLA-degraders and understanding of the mechanism could aid in designing strategies to accelerate the biodegradation process.

Additional Metadata

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Item Type: Article
AGROVOC Term: Microbial degradation
AGROVOC Term: Biodegradation
AGROVOC Term: Environmental impact
AGROVOC Term: Microorganisms
AGROVOC Term: Waste management
AGROVOC Term: Composting
AGROVOC Term: Experiments
AGROVOC Term: analysis
AGROVOC Term: Environmental impact assessment
AGROVOC Term: Sustainability
Depositing User: Mr. AFANDI ABDUL MALEK
Last Modified: 24 Apr 2025 00:55
URI: http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/10339

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