A Review on the Role of Earthworms in Plastics Degradation: Issues and Challenges

Recently, the contribution of earthworms to plastic degradation and their capability to swallow smaller plastic fragments, known as microplastics, has been emphasized. The worm physically changes the size of microplastics and enhances microbial activities to increase the possibility of degradation....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polymers 2022-11, Vol.14 (21), p.4770
Main Authors: Khaldoon, Shahad, Lalung, Japareng, Maheer, Umrana, Kamaruddin, Mohamad Anuar, Yhaya, Mohd Firdaus, Alsolami, Eman S., Alorfi, Hajer S., Hussein, Mahmoud A., Rafatullah, Mohd
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodegradable materials
Biodegradation
Decomposition
Degradation
Digestive system
Ecosystems
Food
Microorganisms
Moisture content
Moisture effects
Mortality
Physical properties
Plastic pollution
Plastics industry
Polymers
Review
Soil moisture
Soils
Toxicity
Worms
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Summary:Recently, the contribution of earthworms to plastic degradation and their capability to swallow smaller plastic fragments, known as microplastics, has been emphasized. The worm physically changes the size of microplastics and enhances microbial activities to increase the possibility of degradation. However, no research has shown that earthworms can chemically degrade microplastics to an element form, CO2 or H2O. In this review, previous research has been thoroughly explored to analyse the role that earthworms could play in plastic degradation in the soil. Earthworms can significantly affect the physical characteristics of plastics. However, earthworms’ abilities to chemically degrade or change the chemical structure of plastics and microplastics have not been observed. Additionally, earthworms exhibit selective feeding behaviour, avoiding areas containing a high plastics concentration and rejecting plastics. Consequently, earthworms’ abilities to adapt to the microplastics in soil in the environment can cause a problem. Based on this review, the challenges faced in earthworm application for plastic degradation are mostly expected to be associated with the toxicity and complexity of the plastic material and environmental factors, such as the moisture content of the soil and its temperature, microbial population, and feeding method.
ISSN:2073-4360
2073-4360
DOI:10.3390/polym14214770