TY - JOUR
T1 - Microplastic degradation as a sustainable concurrent approach for producing biofuel and obliterating hazardous environmental effects
T2 - A state-of-the-art review
AU - Arpia, Arjay A.
AU - Chen, Wei Hsin
AU - Ubando, Aristotle T.
AU - Naqvi, Salman Raza
AU - Culaba, Alvin B.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Science and Technology , Taiwan, R.O.C., under contract MOST 109-2221-E-006-040-MY3 . This research was also supported in part by the Higher Education Sprout Project , Ministry of Education to the Headquarters of University Advancement at National Chen Kung University (NCKU).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors
PY - 2021/9/15
Y1 - 2021/9/15
N2 - As plastics have been omnipresent in society ever since their introduction in 1907, global plastic production has ballooned in the 20th century or the Plasticene Era (Plastic Age). After their useful life span, they deliberately or accidentally, are disposed of in the environment. Influenced by different factors, plastics undergo fragmentation into microplastics (MPs) and present hazardous risks in all life forms including humans. Obliterating MPs from the environment has been a global challenge for the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs). This review aims to present MP degradation routes with a great focus on the thermodegradation and biodegradation routes as sustainable routes of MP degradation. These routes can achieve the reduction and obliteration of MPs in the environment, thus reducing their hazardous effects. Moreover, the thermodegradation of MPs can produce fuels that help solve the dilemma of energy security. Overall, continued research and development are still needed, however, these novel approaches and the increased awareness of the microplastics’ hazards give us hope that we can achieve sustainable development in the near future.
AB - As plastics have been omnipresent in society ever since their introduction in 1907, global plastic production has ballooned in the 20th century or the Plasticene Era (Plastic Age). After their useful life span, they deliberately or accidentally, are disposed of in the environment. Influenced by different factors, plastics undergo fragmentation into microplastics (MPs) and present hazardous risks in all life forms including humans. Obliterating MPs from the environment has been a global challenge for the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs). This review aims to present MP degradation routes with a great focus on the thermodegradation and biodegradation routes as sustainable routes of MP degradation. These routes can achieve the reduction and obliteration of MPs in the environment, thus reducing their hazardous effects. Moreover, the thermodegradation of MPs can produce fuels that help solve the dilemma of energy security. Overall, continued research and development are still needed, however, these novel approaches and the increased awareness of the microplastics’ hazards give us hope that we can achieve sustainable development in the near future.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126381
DO - 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126381
M3 - Article
C2 - 34329008
AN - SCOPUS:85108000605
SN - 0304-3894
VL - 418
JO - Journal of Hazardous Materials
JF - Journal of Hazardous Materials
M1 - 126381
ER -