Biodegradation is the biologically mediated transformation and mineralization of organic or inorganic substances by microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and archaea, often via extracellular and intracellular enzymatic pathways. It proceeds through sequential steps including depolymerization, primary degradation to smaller intermediates, and ultimate mineralization to CO₂, CH₄, H₂O, inorganic salts, and biomass under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. In environmental and engineering contexts, biodegradation governs the fate of pollutants, natural organic matter, and synthetic materials, and is a central process in bioremediation, wastewater treatment, and life-cycle assessment of chemicals and polymers.
Amid concerns over rising petroleum prices and resource depletion, organic compounds such as methanol are attracting attention as potential replacements. Though this bodes well in theory, the production of raw materials from ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 17, 2025
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14
Certain bacteria isolated from soil could knock out "eternal pollutants," substances that, once dispersed in the environment, do not degrade and threaten human and planetary health: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 16, 2025
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179
Fungi are nature's recyclers and chemists, turning waste into useful products and creating an array of enzymes and compounds. By harnessing this potential through fungal biotechnology (using fungi to develop products and ...
Ecology
Jun 16, 2025
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26
In the "Mission: Impossible" films, superspy Ethan Hunt—played by Tom Cruise—gets orders from his superiors on various devices that self-destruct in five seconds. Could electronics disintegrate into nothing in real life? ...
Bio & Medicine
Jun 6, 2025
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40
While biodegradable plastics currently account for 0.5% of the hundreds of millions of tons of plastic produced annually, a growing demand for the alternative reflects consumer awareness and corporate response.
Environment
Apr 22, 2025
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For more than two years, the UN member states have been trying to agree on a plastics treaty that includes globally binding measures against plastic pollution. In August, negotiations to reach an agreement will continue in ...
Environment
Apr 7, 2025
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31
Sit down, relax and get your nails done at the sustainability salon. In a new study, a team of researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder's ATLAS Institute has designed a new kind of press-on nails that are biodegradable, ...
Environment
Apr 2, 2025
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60
Scientists at the Materials Research Center (MRC), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), have developed a new type of enzyme mimetic that can degrade toxic chemicals in industrial wastewater effectively in the presence of sunlight.
Bio & Medicine
Oct 3, 2023
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214
The heterogeneous photocatalysis (HPC) based Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) is an eco-friendly technique for purifying water from organic and biological pollutants in environmental systems. The photocatalysts' overall catalytic ...
Nanomaterials
Sep 28, 2023
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247
Recently, a research team led by Prof. Chen Chunying from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) revealed that gut microbiota can ferment exogenous carbon nanomaterials ...
Bio & Medicine
May 19, 2023
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