The properties of microorganisms from plastic-contaminated areas were analyzed. Research results have shown that the gut microbiome of larval species of the large wax moth uses plastic as a carbon source, and the gut microbiome of the worm is able to survive on polystyrene. Enzymes that break down polyethylene in the saliva of wax worms have also been identified, which is important for combating plastic pollution. Enzymatic biodegradation of plastics is carried out using traditional whole-cell biocatalysis or a cell-free approach. It is shown that the use of wild-type strains in combination with bioinformatic analysis makes it possible to identify potential enzymes that effectively biodegrade plastics and contribute to environmental safety. The paper discusses the importance of improving the efficiency of existing plastic biodegradation processes, particularly the application of pretreatment to increase the receptivity of polyolefins. It is shown that the development of enzymes can contribute to the general biodegradation of plastics, examples of successful construction of PET hydrolase using machine learning are given. The research results demonstrate the effectiveness of these strategies for the biodegradation of plastics and may be useful for further development in this field. The process of biodegradation of polystyrene (PS) was studied with the help of Uloma sp beetle larvae, which actively feed on PS and secrete enzymes that decompose it into biomass and other biochemical compounds. As a result of the experiment, the survival rate and percentage of weight loss of the PS were determined. It was established that the larvae of the beetle Uloma sp. can effectively degrade PS, which is an important aspect in reducing waste volume and ensuring an environmentally safe way of recycling plastic
Received 15.11.2022
Revised 05.04.2023
Accepted 07.06.2023
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