Marine pollution has increased reaching the entire marine environment, from the surface to the deepest sediment, and has become more concerning in the last 70 years. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a fraction of ocean waste that includes, among the others, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and plastic polymers. These chemicals have an extremely long half-life, and (bio)accumulate and damage the marine flora and fauna, and, ultimately, human health. Some organisms have evolved enzymes to attack POPs in the environment and transform them into biomass and CO₂. Several microorganisms degrade many POPs in relatively short time. A wide variety of bacteria has been isolated with different techniques, and key catabolic enzymes used to degrade the most persistent oil hydrocarbon fractions have been identified. For plastic waste, there is less evidence of microbial degradation, but a few recent studies are revealing that a biodegradation potential exists for some of the most recalcitrant plastic polymers as well. The scientific community is focusing on microorganisms and their enzymes for POP uptake and removal from the environment, while searching novel biopolymers (also from microbiological origin) to substitute oil-derived plastics.

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海洋环境中的微生物和持久性有机污染物

从表层到最深的沉积物，海洋污染已经遍及整个海洋环境，并且在过去70年中引起了越来越多的关注。持久性有机污染物（POPs）是海洋废弃物的一部分，其中包括多环芳烃（PAHs）和塑料聚合物。这些化学物质的半衰期非常长，并且会（生物）蓄积并损害海洋动植物，最终损害人类健康。一些生物已经进化出酶来攻击环境中的POP，并将其转化为生物量和CO ₂。几种微生物可在相对较短的时间内降解许多POP。已经用不同的技术分离了各种各样的细菌，并且已经鉴定出用于降解最持久的油烃馏分的关键分解代谢酶。对于塑料废料，微生物降解的证据较少，但最近的一些研究表明，对于某些最难降解的塑料聚合物也存在生物降解的潜力。科学界将重点放在微生物及其酶上，以用于持久性有机污染物的吸收和从环境中去除，同时寻找新型生物聚合物（也来自微生物学来源）来替代石油衍生的塑料。