A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends in Biodegradation of Plastics

The rapid growth in the production and application of plastic globally has resulted in plastic pollution with a negative impact on the environment, especially the marine ecosystem. One main disadvantage in the majority of polymers is disposal after a useful life span. Non-degradable polymers create...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polymers 2022-06, Vol.14 (13), p.2642
Main Authors: Akinpelu, Enoch Akinbiyi, Nchu, Felix
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bibliometrics
Biodegradation
Collaboration
Data analysis
Microorganisms
Plastic pollution
Polymers
Review
Scientific visualization
Scientometrics
Trends
Waste management
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The rapid growth in the production and application of plastic globally has resulted in plastic pollution with a negative impact on the environment, especially the marine ecosystem. One main disadvantage in the majority of polymers is disposal after a useful life span. Non-degradable polymers create severe difficulty in plastic waste management that might end up in landfills or wash into the ocean. The biodegradation of plastic waste is one solution to this critical problem of pollution. Hence, there is a need to consider the advancement of research in this subject area, in pursuit of a way out of plastic pollution. Thus, this study was designed to map the biodegradation of plastic-related research from 2000 to 2021. Statistical information on the topic was recovered from the Web of Science Core Collection and analysed using the bibliometrix package in RStudio statistical software, while data visualisation was conducted via VOSviewer. Our evaluation indicated that the amount of research on the biodegradation of plastic increased over the last decade, and the annual growth rate of publication trends was 11.84%. The study revealed that 1131 authors wrote the 290 analysed documents, with a collaboration index of 4.04. Cooper DG (n = 11) was the most relevant author, McGill University (n = 21) was the most active university, and the Journal of Polymers and the Environment (n = 19) the leading journal. The outcome of this study can guide prospective research and offer vital information for improving the management of plastic waste.
ISSN:2073-4360
2073-4360
DOI:10.3390/polym14132642