Role of Fungi in Microplastic Degradation: Brief Mechanism, Applications and Future Prospects

Microplastics (MPs), persistent pollutants with particle sizes smaller than 5 mm, have emerged as a serious ecological and health hazard across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Biological degradation, particularly by fungi, has gained attention as an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach for microplastic remediation. This review briefly explores the role of fungi in microplastic degradation, focusing on mechanisms, types of fungi involved, degradation products, factors influencing degradation, analytical methods, and future applications. The article also addresses knowledge gaps, biotechnological advancements, and future research directions to enhance fungal degradation efficiency. More research should be conducted on biotic microplastic degradation in order to find underlying mechanisms in depth, to get rid of microplastics, persistent in the environment.