Enzymes involved in the manipulation of polyethylene degradation: oxidative attack by invertebrates, microorganisms and algae on microplastics

Key Points

• To explore enzymatic pathways for polyethylene degradation and identify effective enzyme combinations.
• Conducted bibliometric analysis across multiple organisms including invertebrates and microorganisms.
• Performed kinetic analyses to determine the effectiveness of laccase–cutinase cascades on polyethylene degradation.
• Laccase–cutinase cascades showed the highest promise for degrading polyethylene.
• Identified enzymatic pathways could lead to better strategies for managing microplastics.