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REVIEW article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbiotechnology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1510817
This article is part of the Research Topic The Role Of Microbial Communities In Environmental Engineering Systems View all 3 articles

Global perspectives on the biodegradation of LDPE in agricultural systems

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 INIA - Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria, Lima, Peru
  • 2 Corporación para la Investigación de la Corrosión, Piedecuesta, Santander, Colombia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The increasing use of plastics globally has generated serious environmental and human health problems, particularly in the agricultural sector where low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and other plastics are widely used. Due to its low recycling rate and slow degradation process, LDPE is a major source of pollution. This paper addresses the problem of plastic accumulation in agriculture, focusing on LDPE biodegradation strategies. The studies reviewed include recent data and the methodologies used include state-of-the-art technologies and others that have been used for decades, to monitor and measure the degree of biodegradation that each treatment applied can have, including SEM, GCMS, HPLC, and microscopy. The countries investigating these biodegradation methodologies are identified, and while some countries have been developing them for some years, others have only begun to address this problem in recent years. The use of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, algae, and insect larvae that influence its decomposition is highlighted. A workflow is proposed to carry out this type of research. Despite the advances, challenges remain, such as optimizing environmental conditions to accelerate the process and the need for further research that delves into microbial interactions in various environmental contexts. their long-term efficacy under varying environmental conditions.Detail of abbreviations in Table S3.

    Keywords: Biological degradation, LDPE, plastics in agriculture, microorganisms, Metagenomic, Microbial Consortia

    Received: 13 Oct 2024; Accepted: 19 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Mendoza, Tineo, Chuquibala-Checán, Atalaya Marin, Taboada, Tafur-Culqui, Tarrillo, Gómez-Fernández, Goñas and Reyes-Reyes. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Jani E. Mendoza, INIA - Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria, Lima, Peru
    María Andrea Reyes-Reyes, Corporación para la Investigación de la Corrosión, Piedecuesta, Santander, Colombia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.