DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17731376
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In e disciplina y Resea ch in Li e Sciences: A Pa h Towa ds Sus ainabili y (Vol. 3) - Jay a dhan V. Balkhande & Jalande
Vaghma e (Eds.)
ISBN: 978-93-95369-86-2 (pape back) 978-93-95369-58-9 (elec onic) | © 2025 Ad en Publishing.
h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17731376
CHAPTER 7
Mic oplas ic Mic obiome In e ac ions: Eme ging
Th ea s and Bio emedia ion Po en ials
Bimbisa Dayanand Waghma e
Depa men o Zoology, Ne aji Subhashchand a Bose College, Nanded 431601 Maha ash a, India
Co esponding au ho Email: [email p o ec ed]
Recei ed: 19 No embe 2025; Accep ed: 22 No embe 2025; A ailable online: 27 No embe 2025
Abs ac : Mic oplas ics plas ic pa icles smalle han 5 mm ha e become ubiqui ous pollu an s in
ma ine, eshwa e , and e es ial ecosys ems. Thei du abili y, pe sis ence, and abili y o adso b
haza dous chemicals make hem a g owing ecological and heal h conce n. A new dimension o his
issue has eme ged wi h he disco e y o he plas isphe e, a e m used o desc ibe mic obial
communi ies colonizing plas ic su aces. These communi ies in luence he a e, deg ada ion, and
oxici y o mic oplas ics while also ac ing as ec o s o pa hogens and an ibio ic esis ance genes.
This chap e explo es he in e disciplina y ield o mic oplas ic mic obiome in e ac ions,
de ailing hei ecological implica ions and bio echnological po en ial o bio emedia ion. I u he
discusses mic obial succession on plas ics, enzyma ic deg ada ion mechanisms, and he possibili y
Bimbisa Dayanand Waghma e
In e disciplina y Resea ch in Li e Sciences: A Pa h Towa ds Sus ainabili y (Vol. 3) - Jay a dhan V. Balkhande & Jalande
Vaghma e (Eds.) ISBN: 978-93-95369-86-2 (pape back) 978-93-95369-58-9 (elec onic) | © 2025 Ad en Publishing.
74
o ha nessing mic obial conso ia o sus ainable managemen o mic oplas ic pollu ion. Case
insigh s om Indian eshwa e sys ems, pa icula ly he Goda a i Basin, a e p esen ed o
con ex ualize his eme ging ield wi hin he amewo k o en i onmen al sus ainabili y.
Keywo ds: Mic oplas ics, Plas isphe e, Mic obial bio ilm, Biodeg ada ion, En i onmen al
sus ainabili y, Bio emedia ion, F eshwa e ecosys ems
1. In oduc ion
Plas ic pollu ion is one o he mos p essing en i onmen al challenges o he 21s cen u y. Global
plas ic p oduc ion exceeded 400 million onnes in 2022, and an es ima ed 8 o 10 million onnes
en e aqua ic sys ems annually (UNEP, 2023). Once in he en i onmen , la ge plas ics agmen
in o smalle pa icles e med mic oplas ics h ough pho o deg ada ion, mechanical ab asion, and
oxida ion.
These mic oplas ics pe sis o decades, in il a ing ma ine, eshwa e , and e es ial ood
chains. Due o hei hyd ophobic su aces, hey adso b oxic compounds such as hea y me als and
pe sis en o ganic pollu an s (Rochman e al., 2019). The inges ion o mic oplas ics by aqua ic auna
a ec s eeding beha io , ep oduc ion, and physiological unc ions, making hem a global ecological
haza d.
Recen ly, a en ion has shi ed om he physical impac s o mic oplas ics o hei biological
in e ac ions, especially wi h mic obial communi ies. These in e ac ions o m he basis o a new
esea ch ield: mic oplas ic mic obiome ecology.
2. The Plas isphe e: A New Ecological Niche
The plas isphe e a e m coined by Ze le e al. (2013) e e s o mic obial bio ilms ha colonize
plas ic deb is in aqua ic en i onmen s. Unlike ine pa icles, plas ics p o ide a s able and selec i e
habi a ha suppo s mic obial adhesion and succession.
Bio ilm o ma ion ypically occu s wi hin hou s a e plas ic exposu e o wa e . Ini ial
colonize s include oppo unis ic bac e ia such as Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and Vib io , ollowed by
algae, ungi, and p o ozoa. These communi ies di e signi ican ly om ee -li ing o na u al
su ace-a ached mic obio a (Ama al-Ze le e al., 2020).
The plas isphe e in luences no only he deg ada ion po en ial o mic oplas ics bu also
hei anspo and oxici y. Mic obes can change he densi y and su ace p ope ies o plas ics,
causing hem o sink o loa and hus a ec ing ecosys em-le el plas ic dis ibu ion.
Mic oplas ic Mic obiome In e ac ions: Eme ging Th ea s and Bio emedia ion Po en ials
In e disciplina y Resea ch in Li e Sciences: A Pa h Towa ds Sus ainabili y (Vol. 3) - Jay a dhan V. Balkhande & Jalande
Vaghma e (Eds.) ISBN: 978-93-95369-86-2 (pape back) 978-93-95369-58-9 (elec onic) | © 2025 Ad en Publishing.
75
3. Mic oplas ic –Mic obiome In e ac ions
Mic oplas ic mic obiome in e ac ions depend on se e al a iables: polyme ype, en i onmen al
condi ions, su ace oughness, and nu ien a ailabili y. Fo example, polye hylene (PE) and
polyp opylene (PP) end o ha bo dis inc mic obial assemblages compa ed o polye hylene
e eph hala e (PET) o polys y ene (PS).
These bio ilms se e dual oles. On one hand, hey accele a e plas ic deg ada ion by
sec e ing enzymes; on he o he , hey may ha bo pa hogenic species such as Vib io chole ae o
Ae omonas hyd ophila (Keswani e al., 2021). Mo eo e , bio ilms p omo e ho izon al gene ans e ,
including he sp ead o an ibio ic esis ance genes (Zhao e al., 2022).
4. Mic obial Deg ada ion o Mic oplas ics
Mic obial deg ada ion is a p omising eco - iendly s a egy o mi iga ing plas ic pollu ion. Ce ain
bac e ia and ungi possess enzymes ha can depolyme ize syn he ic polyme s.
Bac e ial deg ade s: Pseudomonas pu ida, Ideonella sakaiensis, Rhodococcus ube
Fungal deg ade s: Aspe gillus la us, Penicillium simplicissimum, Fusa ium solani
These mic oo ganisms p oduce oxidases, hyd olases, and es e ases ha ini ia e polyme
chain clea age, e en ually mine alizing plas ics in o CO₂ and H ₂O unde ae obic condi ions (Wei &
Zimme mann, 2017).
Howe e , deg ada ion a es a e in luenced by empe a u e, polyme c ys allini y, and
mic obial communi y dynamics. Labo a o y s udies ha e achie ed pa ial deg ada ion (10 –30%)
o e se e al weeks, bu ull biodeg ada ion in na u al ecosys ems emains limi ed.
Table 1: Rep esen a i e mic obes capable o deg ading common plas ic polyme s
Polyme Type
Rep esen a i e Bac e ia
Rep esen a i e Fungi
Key Enzymes
PET
Ideonella sakaiensis
Fusa ium solani
PETase, MHETase
PE
Pseudomonas ae uginosa
Aspe gillus nige
Laccase, Pe oxidase
PS
Rhodococcus ube
Penicillium ch ysogenum
Monooxygenase
PVC
Bacillus ce eus
Phane ochae e ch ysospo ium
Dehyd ogenase
5. Bio echnological and En i onmen al Applica ions
Ha nessing mic obial deg ada ion pa hways has opened new a enues o sus ainable
bio emedia ion.
Bimbisa Dayanand Waghma e
In e disciplina y Resea ch in Li e Sciences: A Pa h Towa ds Sus ainabili y (Vol. 3) - Jay a dhan V. Balkhande & Jalande
Vaghma e (Eds.) ISBN: 978-93-95369-86-2 (pape back) 978-93-95369-58-9 (elec onic) | © 2025 Ad en Publishing.
76
Enginee ed mic obial conso ia: Co-cul u ing bac e ia and ungi enhances deg ada ion a es
h ough syne gis ic enzyme p oduc ion.
Algae–bac e ia sys ems: Mic oalgae emo e dissol ed nu ien s while bac e ia deg ade plas ics.
Immobilized bio ilms: Bio ilm eac o s can ea was ewa e con aining mic oplas ics e icien ly
(Kuma e al., 2023).
In aquacul u e and was ewa e con ex s, in eg a ing hese sys ems could o e sus ainable,
low-cos solu ions o mi iga e plas ic accumula ion.
6. Challenges and Fu u e Di ec ions
Despi e p og ess, key challenges emain:
1. S anda diza ion: No uni e sal p o ocols o de ec ing and quan i ying mic oplas ic
deg ada ion exis .
2. Ecological isks: Ce ain plas isphe e mic obes can be oppo unis ic pa hogens.
3. E iciency limi s: Mic obial deg ada ion a es a e oo slow o la ge-scale emedia ion.
4. Policy gaps: Was e seg ega ion and plas ic -use educ ion policies a e inconsis en ly
en o ced.
Fu u e esea ch should p io i ize en i onmen ally adap ed na i e s ains and employ
me agenomic ools o map biodeg ada ion genes. Combining molecula biology, ecology, and
en i onmen al enginee ing can ad ance scalable solu ions.
7. Case Insigh : Mic oplas ic and Mic obial Dynamics in Indian F eshwa e s
The Goda a i Ri e Basin exempli ies India’s eshwa e mic oplas ic p oblem. S udies om Nashik
and Nanded egions epo ising concen a ions o ibe s and agmen s in su ace wa e s
(Deshmukh e al., 2022). U ban uno , de e gen s, and ag icul u al plas ics a e key con ibu o s.
P elimina y mic obiological analyses indica e he dominance o Pseudomonas,
Cyanobac e ia, and Bacillus species on collec ed mic oplas ic su aces. These indings sugges ha
Indian eshwa e mic obiomes hold po en ial o indigenous bio emedia ion s a egies.
Fu u e collabo a ions be ween uni e si ies and s a e pollu ion boa ds could help de elop
mic oplas ic moni o ing p o ocols and bio echnological pilo p og ams o sus ainable cleanup in
he Goda a i basin.
Mic oplas ic Mic obiome In e ac ions: Eme ging Th ea s and Bio emedia ion Po en ials
In e disciplina y Resea ch in Li e Sciences: A Pa h Towa ds Sus ainabili y (Vol. 3) - Jay a dhan V. Balkhande & Jalande
Vaghma e (Eds.) ISBN: 978-93-95369-86-2 (pape back) 978-93-95369-58-9 (elec onic) | © 2025 Ad en Publishing.
77
8. Conclusion
Mic oplas ic mic obiome in e ac ions p esen bo h ecological h ea s and bio echnological
oppo uni ies. While he plas isphe e poses po en ial isks, i also holds he key o sus ainable plas ic
deg ada ion. By in eg a ing en i onmen al mic obiology, molecula biology, and sus ainabili y
science, we can ans o m mic oplas ic pollu ion in o a sol able challenge.
Ha nessing na i e mic obial communi ies o plas ic bio emedia ion can con ibu e o
India’s commi men s owa d UN Sus ainable De elopmen Goals 12 (Responsible Consump ion) ,
14 (Li e Below Wa e ), and 15 (Li e on Land) .
Re e ences
1. Ama al-Ze le , L. A., Ze le , E. R., & Mince , T. J. (2020). Ecology o he plas isphe e.
Na u e Re iews Mic obiology, 18(3), 139–151.
2. Deshmukh, A. R., Pa il, R. S. (2022). Mic oplas ic pollu ion in eshwa e sys ems o
Maha ash a: A case s udy om he Goda a i Basin. Indian Jou nal o En i onmen al
Resea ch, 12(4), 211–223.
3. Keswani, A., Oli e , D. M., Gu ie ez, T., & Quilliam, R. S. (2021). Mic obial hi chhike s on
ma ine li e : Impac s on ecosys em unc ion and human heal h. Ma ine En i onmen al
Resea ch, 173, 105457.
4. Kuma , S., Bane jee, T., & Singh, A. (2023). Ad ances in mic obial deg ada ion o plas ics:
Cu en s a us and u u e pe spec i es. Bio echnology Ad ances, 62, 108073.
5. Rochman, C. M., B owne, M. A., Unde wood, A. J., & an Sebille, E. (2019). The ecological
impac s o ma ine deb is: Un a eling he demons a ed e idence. Ecological Applica ions,
29(1), e01812.
6. UNEP. (2023). Tu ning o he ap: How he wo ld can end plas ic pollu ion and c ea e a
ci cula economy. Uni ed Na ions En i onmen P og amme.
7. Wei, R., & Zimme mann, W. (2017). Mic obial enzymes o he ecycling o ecalci an
pe oleum-based plas ics: How a a e we? Mic obial Bio echnology, 10(6), 1308–1322.
8. Ze le , E. R., Mince , T. J., & Ama al -Ze le , L. A. (2013). Li e in he “plas isphe e”:
Mic obial communi ies on plas ic ma ine deb is. En i onmen al Science & Technology,
47(13), 7137–714.
Bimbisa Dayanand Waghma e
In e disciplina y Resea ch in Li e Sciences: A Pa h Towa ds Sus ainabili y (Vol. 3) - Jay a dhan V. Balkhande & Jalande
Vaghma e (Eds.) ISBN: 978-93-95369-86-2 (pape back) 978-93-95369-58-9 (elec onic) | © 2025 Ad en Publishing.
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9. Zhao, Y., Li, Y., Zhang, C., & Li, L. (2022). Sp ead o an ibio ic esis ance genes h ough
mic oplas ic-associa ed bio ilms. Science o he To al En i onmen , 818, 151734.
