Advanced synergistic remediation of diverse plastic pollutants using nano-enabled biocatalysts

Abstract

Plastic, a highly malleable material once shown its role to alternate things like ivory, wood, and so on to reduce burden on nature, has become a rapidly rising global concern over the past few decades due to its legacy in every possible application, from spacesuits to socks, daily needful things to life-supporting medical things. Its vast accumulation has reached from polluting rivers to the human internal organs, posing severe threats to ecosystems, human health and the stability of our planet Earth. This review explores the history, applications, major impacts, alternatives and recycling of plastic and nanotechnology as a transformative solution, focusing on the promising potential of Nano-enabled Biocatalysts (NBs) for efficient plastic degradation. NBs, which integrate biological elements like enzymes or microorganisms with synthetic nanomaterials (e.g., silver, titanium, iron oxides), offer superior catalytic activity, stability, and selectivity compared to their individual components. Prominent studies demonstrating NBs' efficacy, including the use of Aspergillus oryzae with silver nanoparticles and Lactobacillus plantarum with titania nanoparticles for enhanced polyethylene degradation, as well as bacterial consortia augmented by ironoxide nanoparticles and other advanced nanomaterials are reviewed. These innovative approaches facilitate faster and more complete plastic breakdowns, significantly reducing microplastic and nanoplastic contamination. Research in this domain is still in its early stages. Further studies are essential to fully comprehend the characteristics of biological and nanoscale components, engineer new functional materials, assess their comprehensive risks and benefits, and rigorously test their effectiveness under real-world environmental conditions before widespread implementation.