聚乙烯微塑料的微生物降解研究进展

现代工业的发展使得塑料制品的使用量急剧增加，由此产生的大量废旧塑料垃圾在环境中裂解形成粒径更小的微塑料（<5 mm）.由于微塑料结构稳定，分布广泛且生物可利用性低，在环境中长期存在，已经逐渐成为对海洋生态和环境造成巨大影响的重要污染物.近年的研究表明，自然环境中存在一些能降解这些难降解微塑料的微生物，微生物降解无二次污染且对环境扰动少，在微塑料的去除中具有很好地应用潜力，但亦有一些局限性.综述了环境中数量最多的聚乙烯微塑料的微生物降解研究现状，着重探讨了降解效果和量化方法.基于微塑料生物分解效率普遍较低的现状，开展进一步的研究还非常有必要.

Biodegradation of Polyethylene Microplastic: A Review

Over the recent decades, global plastic production has grown dramatically due to the huge demands of consumption. As a consequence, large amounts of plastic waste have accumulated in the environment and will be cleaved into microplastics. Due to the low bioavailability, the microplastics will exist in the environment persistently and cause massive environmental stress. Plastic pollution is currently one of the biggest environmental concerns. Recent studies have shown the possibility to obtain degrading microorganisms of microplastics from the natural environment. Some microorganisms can break down microplastics into water and carbon dioxide. This paper reviewed the current research on biodegradation of polyethylene (PE), which is the most abundant microplastic type in the environment, and discussed the quantification methods of the degradation effect. Given that current biodegradation efficiency is relatively limited, further research is required.