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.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 30% to 40% of the nation's food supply ends up being wasted. That adds up to billions of pounds every year rotting in landfills and emitting greenhouse gases like methane and ...
Biotechnology
Jul 15, 2025
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New research has found increasing levels of artificial sweeteners in wastewater treatment plants, with downstream impacts on the environment.
Environment
Jul 11, 2025
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67
Negotiations toward a global, legally binding plastics treaty are set to resume this summer, with the United Nations Environment Program announcing that the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution will ...
Environment
Jul 9, 2025
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31
Leiden researchers have discovered an enzyme that helps bacteria feed on everyday plastics. This common enzyme could play a crucial role in future research and eventually in addressing the global plastic crisis. The study ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 9, 2025
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34
Plastics play a fundamental role in modern life, but their resistance to biodegradation makes them very difficult to dispose of. New research reveals how "plastivore" caterpillars can metabolically degrade plastics in a matter ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 8, 2025
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110
Microplastics (MPs) pollution is a prevalent environmental problem that affects ecosystems globally. Despite the growing research on the environmental effects of MPs, a significant research gap remains in understanding the ...
Environment
Jul 7, 2025
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14
Researchers led by Dr. Xu Mingkai from the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have identified a highly effective microbial consortium capable of fully degrading acetochlor, a widely used and persistent ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 20, 2025
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29
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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180
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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