Biodegradation of plastics using microorganisms

Plastics have been playing an important role in our lives since many years. Some significant characters of these polymers such as lightweight and durability make them an attractive material and they are largely being used in number of applications e.g. packaging and electrical insulations. These polymers can be molded into desired shapes which make them an excellent material for making pipes, sheets and packaging material. Toughness of plastic makes them an extremely resistant and inert material toward degradation as a result they are accumulating in terrestrial and marine ecosystem at a dangerous rate over the last few years. Attempts have been made to replace synthetic plastic material with bioplastics or plastic those are easily biodegraded. Biodegradation is a noninvasive technique used to degrade plastic material through action of microbes so that plastic contamination can be reduced and terrestrial and marine biota could be saved from hazardous effects of these polymers.