Dinesh Singh Rauthan¹ and Arti Rauthan²

¹Department of Public Health, COER University, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India

²Sai Institute of Paramedical and Allied Science, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

Received: Jan 24, 2025/ Revised: Feb 14, 2025/Accepted: Feb 27, 2025

(✉) Corresponding Author:  dineshrrauthan@gmail.com

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47587/CESA.2025.5101

Highlights
Microbial diversity and enzymatic pathways in polyethylene (PE) microplastic degradation.
• Significant LDPE biodegradation by bacteria, fungi, and algae confirmed via SEM, FTIR, GC-MS, and weight loss assays.
• Synergistic effects of bacterial consortia and engineered strains enhancing degradation efficiency.
• Oxidative cleavage, enzymatic depolymerization, and mineralization as key degradation steps.
• Role of green nanomaterials, metagenomics, and genetic engineering in boosting microbial degradation.
• Potential of scalable, eco-friendly biotechnological solutions for PE pollution mitigation.

Abstract

Polyethylene (PE) microplastics, known for their environmental persistence and resistance to degradation, pose a major ecological threat in terrestrial and aquatic systems. This study explores the biodegradation potential of bacteria, fungi, and algae against PE microplastics, highlighting microbial diversity, degradation pathways, and enzymatic mechanisms. The process typically begins with abiotic or enzymatic oxidative pretreatment, forming hydrophilic functional groups that facilitate microbial colonization. Microorganisms such as Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas, Aspergillus niger, and Scenedesmus dimorphus demonstrated significant capacity to degrade low-density PE (LDPE), supported by evidence from SEM, FTIR, GC-MS, and weight loss assays. Bacterial consortia showed synergistic effects, achieving up to 58.21% LDPE degradation, while engineered strains like ARTP-mutagenized Bacillus safensis exhibited enhanced laccase gene expression and higher biodegradation efficiency. Fungi such as Aspergillus fumigatus and Trichoderma harzianum secreted oxidoreductases capable of depolymerizing PE under diverse conditions. Algae and cyanobacteria also facilitated degradation via biofilm formation and PETase expression, particularly in marine and freshwater environments. The proposed mechanism includes oxidative cleavage, enzymatic depolymerization, assimilation of intermediates, and their eventual mineralization via β-oxidation and TCA cycle pathways. Incorporating green nanomaterials, metagenomic approaches, and genetic engineering further enhanced microbial action on PE. The findings underscore the ecological relevance of microbial systems in bioremediating PE pollution and offer promising directions for biotechnological interventions. This comprehensive insight into microbial PE degradation paves the way for scalable, environmentally friendly solutions to the global plastic crisis

Keywords: Polyethylene microplastics, microbial degradation, bacterial consortia, oxidative enzymes, fungal biodegradation, algal degradation.

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How to cite this article

Rauthan, D.S. and Rauthan, A.(2025). Biodegradation of Polyethylene Microplastics by Bacteria, Fungi, and Algae: Mechanisms, Enzymes, and Microbial Diversity. Chemical and Environmental Science Archives, Vol. 5 (1),1-8. https://doi.org/10.47587/CESA.2025.5101

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