Microplastic waste is an emerging
global issue due to its environmental
effect of accumulation in ecosystems, and waste managing systems have
given rise to its presence in the aquatic environment. It is gaining
attention due to its persistent nature and potential adverse effects
on living organisms. There is an urgent need for the development of
efficient degradation methods for microplastic (MP) treatment. In
this review, a comprehensive overview of current methods for the degradation
of MPs, such as biological, photo, chemical, and mechanical degradation
have been summarized and discussed in detail. All the fundamental
mechanisms of MP degradation in the natural environment are linked
with remediation approaches to accelerate these mechanisms that occur
in nature. Decomposition efficiency with the applied system’s
limitations has also been mentioned. Furthermore, the current knowledge
gaps about MP decomposition, and future research directions are proposed.
This work offers a summary of current degradation methods for MP decomposition
and provides a reference for the control of MP pollution.