Table 2 Summary of engineered microorganisms for plastic degradation enhanced by surface adhesion

PET

E. coli PHL628

lsPETase

N-terminal fusion to CsgA

Commercial PET;

37% crystallinity

7 days, 30 °C

4.79%^a

(0.29–0.33 g/L TA)

Zhu et al. [55]

Wastewater bottle microplastics; 28% crystallinity

7 days, 30 °C

7.43%^a

Wastewater bottle microplastics; 28% crystallinity

7 days, 30 °C, 0.02% STS

9.10%^a

PET

E. coli BL21(DE3)

lsPETase

N-terminal fusion to FadL;

C-terminal fusion to hydrophobin TrHFBII

Wastewater bottle films (crystallinity not reported)

7 days, 37 °C (media supplemented on day 4)

Not reported

(0.30–0.35 g/L TA)

Jia et al. [56]

PET

Pichia pastoris

lsPETase

N-terminal fusion to GCW51;

Co-display of TrHFBI via N-terminal fusion to GCW61

Commercial film;

45% crystallinity

18 h, 30 °C

3.20%^b

Chen et al. [57]

Commercial film;

6% crystallinity

18 h, 30 °C

55.00%^b

PET

E. coli BL21(DE3)

FAST-PETase

N-terminal fusion to YfaL

Amorphous PET from

24 h, 30 °C

6.96%^b

Hu and Chen [58]

Co-display with INP-cp52k

Commercial PET bottles

9.47%^b

Co-display with INPNC-mfp-3

15.73%^b

PCL

E. coli BL21(DE3)

Dh3

n/a (biocatalysts secreted)

1% w/v PCL beads

5 days, 37 °C

 < 40%^c

Howard and McCarthy [59]

Dh3 and DgcC

40–60%^c

Dh3 and WspR

40–60%^c