Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are integrating with human cycles and causing severe health and environmental challenges. Therefore, the need to tackle them together efficiently is still lacking and demands novel approaches, such as biotechnology, which can play a crucial role due to its capability to develop biomolecules (enzymes and microbiomes) for the efficient degradation of PFAS and MPs at a large scale and testing at the point of need (PoN). In addition, biomaterials such as algal biomass serve as efficient filter materials for the biosorption of PFAS and MPs. Additionally, synthetic cell-based biosensors emerge as highly sensitive analytical tools for detecting these pollutants in real time under various circumstances and conditions. Biotechnology-assisted handling of MPs and PFAS is a newly emerging approach and needs global attention for scaling up wide applications. The aspects, capabilities, and trends of this proposed field are discussed in this editorial.

Key words: Microplastics; PFAS; Bioremediation; Biosorption; Synthetic-cell biosensors; Environmental biotechnology