Environmental Science Archives (2025) Vol. IV Issue 2 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.16927826 547 www.envsciarch.com Role of Fungi in Microplastic Degradation: Brief Mechanism, Applications and Future Prospects Baani Singh Khalsa College of Education, GT Road, Amritsar, Punjab, India - 143001 *Correspondence for materials should be addressed to BS (email: baanionline20@gmail.com) Abstract 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. Keywords: Microplastics; Degradation; Fungi; Environment; Fungal degradation Introduction Microplastics, defined as plastic fragments smaller than 5 mm, originate from both primary sources such as cosmetics and industrial abrasives, and secondary sources such as the degradation of larger plastics (Singh, 2022; Ahmed, 2022; Tayal et al., 2023; Singh and Singh, 2024; Kaur et al., 2023; Gupta et al., 2022). They accumulate in soil, freshwater, marine systems, and even the atmosphere (de Souza Machado et al., 2018). Traditional methods like incineration or chemical degradation are energy-intensive and can generate toxic by-products. Fungi, known for their potent enzymatic systems, represent a promising biological agent for microplastic biodegradation (Othman et al., 2021). Several fungal genera have demonstrated the capacity to degrade synthetic polymers such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyurethane (PU) (Table 1). Among the most effective degraders are members of the phylum Ascomycota, including species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Trichoderma (Zhang et al., 2020). Basidiomycota fungi such as Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Pleurotus ostreatus also show significant plastic-degrading abilities. Some Zygomycota like Rhizopus species have also been implicated in this role. In marine environments, fungi isolated from plastisphere biofilms—such as Cladosporium and Alternaria sp. have shown remarkable degradation activity (Oliveira et al., 2020). Mechanisms of fungal microplastic degradation The degradation of microplastics by fungi generally begins with colonization and biofilm formation. Fungal hyphae attach to plastic surfaces via hydrophobic interactions, forming dense biofilms that alter the surface characteristics of the plastic and initiate degradation. Once colonized, fungi produce extracellular enzymes capable of cleaving complex plastic polymers. These include laccases, various peroxidases such as manganese peroxidase and lignin peroxidase, as well as cutinases, hydrolases, and esterases (Solanki et al., 2022). These enzymes catalyze either oxidative or hydrolytic cleavage of carbon-carbon (C–C) or carbon-oxygen (C–O) bonds within the polymers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ARCHIVES ISSN: 2583-5092 Volume IV Issue 2, 2025 REVIEW OPEN ACCESS Received: 2025/07/15 Accepted: 2025/08/15 Published: 2025/08/22