Microbial degradation of polymers is governed by many factors, which lead to

changes in polymers' physicochemical properties. The degradation process is

influenced by biotic (metabolic activity, the release of acids, enzymatic
activity), abiotic factors (surface morphology, topography, surface
hydrophobicity, electric charge distribution), and other environmental
conditions (such as temperature, pH, salinity, oxygen level). The critical
characteristics of MNPs, such as additive as well as hydrophobic nature and
persistence of organic pollutants on the surface play a significant role in the
remediation process. Despite the fact, it is complicated to understand the
degradation mechanisms of MNPs, plausible microbial plastic remediation
mechanisms are portrayed schematically in Figure 3. The microbial plastic
degradation (Figure 3) occurs through the following consecutive steps (Dussud
and Ghiglione, 2014): Biodeterioration (Changing the physical and chemical
properties of the polymer by biological agents), bio-fragmentation (lytic
cleavage of complex polymer into simpler forms through enzymes/acids,
assimilation (Incorporation of the molecules by microorganisms) and
mineralization (Oxidized metabolites produced by degradation such as CO2,
CH4, and H2O). Microbial degradation is reported to increase with abiotic
factors such as UV radiation and photo-oxidation (Hadad et al., 2005; Sharma
et al., 2015). Higher molecular weight plastic polymers hinder microbial
degradation process due to the presence of large molecular fragments that are
difficult for cellular uptake. Such large particles are depolymerized by
microorganisms through two significant mechanisms called intracellular and
extracellular degradation (Wilkes and Aristilde, 2017; Yuan et al., 2020).
Intracellular degradation accumulates microbes on the surface of MNPs to
hydrolyze the plastic into short chains. In extracellular degradation, bacteria
secrete some extracellular enzymes such as hydrolases which degrade complex
polymers into simpler units, therefore, metabolized by the different metabolic
pathways. Further, microorganisms convert these short chains into end products
(CO2, H2O, or CH4) through aerobic or anaerobic metabolism by the process
called mineralization. The final consumption of these end products as carbon
and energy sources is called biological natural attenuation. Unfortunately, the
detailed mechanisms of the bacterial attachment on the plastic surface are not
known. But, the attachment of the microorganisms onto the plastic surfaces and
biofilm formation is a well-known strategy. Furthermore, to survive in the harsh
or extreme. environment, microbes form a protective layer to protect