Harnessing Microorganisms for Microplastic Degradation: A Sustainable Approach to Mitigating Environmental Pollution

Abstract

Microplastics are very tiny fragments of plastics that
are usually less than 5 mm in size. They originate from the
development of commercial products or from the disintegration of
bigger polymers. Microplastics exist in all components of the
environment including the aquatic and air environment. They are
usually found in large quantities in such environments, this makes
them major pollutants of the ecosystem. Microplastics exist on the
earth for prolonged years because they are not easily degraded.
These recalcitrant materials find their way into the food chain
resulting in contamination. Furthermore, humans tend to feed,
drink, and inhale them unknowingly because of their microscopic
size. There are diverse health implications associated with inhalation
of microplastics in humans notably are inflammation, cell death,
autoimmune disorder, cancer, and even death. The immune system
of humans does not have the ability to fight these plastics so
whenever they are introduced into the body, the dendritic cell
launches an attack but fails severally. Hence, there is a need to
identify sustainable means of mitigating microplastics and
subsequently eradicating them from our ecosystem. Groups of
microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes have the
potential to biodegrade microplastic sustainably. This review
discusses the role the group of microbes play in mitigating
environmental pollution by microplastics.