Rajvanshi Jayana, Sogani Monika, Tziouvaras Georgios, Kumar Anu, Syed Zainab, Sonu Kumar, Gupta Nishan Sen, Sen Himanshi
Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Jaipur, 303007, Rajasthan, India.
School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15780, Zografou, Greece.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2024 Apr 16. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-33333-7.
Globally, 90% of plastics are synthetic, made up of crude oil, natural gas, and coal. Even though plastic is extremely useful in our lives, its excessive use and mismanaged disposal are negatively affecting the ecosystem. The review highlights that the recycling process plays a critical role in controlling the problem of plastic pollution. Although plastic recycling is the most common approach used for managing plastic waste, only 2% of the total plastic waste enters the closed-loop system. However, the review suggests that along with recycling, cost-effective and environmentally friendly plastic approaches can synergistically help to control this increasing problem of plastic waste accumulation. The review further discusses the consequences of plastic pollution on humans and the environment. In particular, the review focuses on biocatalytic and bioengineering tools for the degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), one of the major contributors to plastic waste in landfills and oceans. Moreover, the review presents biobased and biodegradable materials, derived from renewable feedstocks, as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics along with their complete end-of-life options. Overall, this review analyzes the current scenario of the plastic industry, from plastic production to waste generation and management, loopholes and challenges in the current management strategies, and possible solutions like recycling, biodegradation, and biobased plastics.
在全球范围内，90%的塑料是合成的，由原油、天然气和煤炭制成。尽管塑料在我们的生活中极其有用，但其过度使用和管理不善的处置正在对生态系统产生负面影响。该综述强调，回收过程在控制塑料污染问题方面起着关键作用。虽然塑料回收是处理塑料垃圾最常用的方法，但只有2%的塑料垃圾进入闭环系统。然而，该综述表明，除了回收之外，具有成本效益且环保的塑料处理方法可以协同帮助控制塑料垃圾堆积这一日益严重的问题。该综述进一步讨论了塑料污染对人类和环境的影响。特别是，该综述重点关注用于降解聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯（PET）的生物催化和生物工程工具，PET是垃圾填埋场和海洋中塑料垃圾的主要来源之一。此外，该综述介绍了源自可再生原料的生物基和可生物降解材料，作为石油基塑料的替代品以及它们完整的生命周期末期选项。总体而言，本综述分析了塑料行业的现状，从塑料生产到垃圾产生与管理、当前管理策略中的漏洞和挑战，以及回收、生物降解和生物基塑料等可能的解决方案。
