Microplastic (MP) pollution is a significant environmental concern due to the persistence of MPs and their potential adverse effects on biota. Most scientific studies have examined the distribution, ingestion, fate, behavior, amount, and effect of MPs. However, few studies have described the development of methods for the removal and remediation of MPs. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the recent literature regarding the microbial-mediated degradation of MPs and discuss the associated degradation characteristics and mechanisms. Different types and combinations of microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, bacterial consortia, and biofilms, that can degrade different MPs are categorized. This article summarizes approximately 50 recent papers. Twelve and 6 papers reported that bacteria and fungi, respectively, can degrade MPs. Nine articles indicated that bacterial consortia have the ability to degrade MPs, and 6 articles found that biofilms can also utilize MPs. Furthermore, to evaluate their associated degradation effects, the corresponding structural changes (i.e., macro size, surface morphology, and functional groups) in MPs after microbial degradation are examined. In addition, MP biodegradation is affected by microbial characteristics and environmental factors; therefore, the environmental factors (i.e., temperature, pH and strain activity) influencing MP degradation and the associated degradation effects (i.e., weight loss, degradation rate, and molecular weight change) are generalized. Furthermore, the mechanisms associated with the microbial-mediated degradation of MPs are briefly discussed. Finally, prospects for the degradation of MPs using microbes and future research directions are envisioned. This review provides the first systematic summary of the microbial-mediated degradation of MPs and provides a reference for future studies investigating effective means of MP pollution control.

中文翻译：

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微生物降解和微塑料/塑料的其他环境方面。

由于MP的持久性及其对生物群的潜在不利影响，因此，塑料（MP）污染是一个重大的环境问题。大多数科学研究检查了MP的分布，摄入，命运，行为，数量和作用。但是，很少有研究描述了MP的去除和修复方法的发展。因此，在这篇综述中，我们总结了有关微生物介导的MP降解的最新文献，并讨论了相关的降解特性和机理。可以降解不同MP的微生物（例如细菌，真菌，细菌聚生体和生物膜）的类型和组合有所不同。本文总结了大约50篇最新论文。十二篇和六篇论文报道细菌和真菌分别可以降解MP。九篇文章指出细菌群落具有降解MP的能力，六篇文章发现生物膜也可以利用MP。此外，为了评估其相关的降解效果，检查了微生物降解后MP中相应的结构变化（即，宏观尺寸，表面形态和官能团）。此外，MP的生物降解还受到微生物特性和环境因素的影响；因此，归纳了影响MP降解的环境因素（即温度，pH和应变活性）和相关的降解作用（即重量损失，降解速率和分子量变化）。此外，简要讨论了与微生物介导的MP降解相关的机制。最后，展望了使用微生物降解MP的前景以及未来的研究方向。这篇综述提供了微生物介导的MPs降解的第一个系统总结，并为今后研究MP污染控制的有效手段提供了参考。