Open AccessMicrobial biotechnology addressing the plastic waste disaster
Author(s) -
Narancic Tanja,
O'Connor Kevin E.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
microbial biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.287
H-Index - 74
ISSN - 1751-7915
DOI - 10.1111/1751-7915.12775
Subject(s) - plastic waste , sustainability , plastic pollution , livelihood , municipal solid waste , bioplastic , biodegradable plastic , environmental science , waste management , production (economics) , ecosystem , business , natural resource economics , engineering , microplastics , ecology , agriculture , biology , macroeconomics , economics
Oceans are a major source of biodiversity, they provide livelihood, and regulate the global ecosystem by absorbing heat and CO 2 . However, they are highly polluted with plastic waste. We are discussing here microbial biotechnology advances with the view to improve the start and the end of life of biodegradable polymers, which could contribute to the sustainable use of marine and coastal ecosystems ( UN Sustainability development goal 14).