Current status and prospects of research on microbial degradation of phthalate esters

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs), as widely used plasticizers, have attracted global attention for their environmental durability and biotoxicity. This review focuses on the current pollution status of PAEs in the environment, their degradation pathways, and the degradation mechanism of PAEs by microorganisms. The results show that current research is mainly focused on screening PAE-degradation bacteria and evaluating their degradation efficiency under different environmental conditions. These studies not only reveal the microbial degradation mechanism of PAEs, but also provide a theoretical basis for the utilization of microorganisms to remediate PAEs pollution. In addition, PAEs affect the circulation of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in soil and exert a time-sensitive effect on the metabolic diversity of microbial communities. Although current studies have systematically summarized the degradation potential of PAEs in a single strain, the synergistic effect of combined remediation by microbial communities, and the functional analysis of related degradation genes, there are still some challenges. These include disconnection between laboratory conditions and the actual environment, insufficient microbial community stability, and unclear environmental adaptability mechanisms. In the future, it is necessary to build functional modular microbial communities, analyze microbial community-environment interaction networks, and develop in situ dynamic monitoring technology to break the bottlenecks and promote the practical application of microbial repair technology.