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Newly engineered enzyme can break down plastic to raw materials
Plastics have a lot of properties that have made them fixtures of modern societies. They can be molded into any shape we'd like, they're tough yet flexible, and they come in enough variations that we can tune the chemistry to suit different needs. The problem is that they're tough enough that they don't break down on their own, and incinerating them is relatively inefficient. As a result, they've collected in our environment as both bulk plastics and the seemingly omnipresent microplastic waste.
For natural materials, breaking down isn't an issue, as microbes have evolved ways of digesting them to obtain energy or useful chemicals. But many plastics have only been around for decades, and we're just now seeing organisms that have evolved enzymes to digest them. Figuring they could do one better, researchers in France have engineered an enzyme that can efficiently break down one of the most common forms of plastic. The end result of this reaction is a raw material that can be reused directly to make new plastic bottles.
The plastic in question is polyethylene terephthalate, or PET. PET has a variety of uses, including as thin films with very high tensile strength (marketed as mylar). But its most notable use is in plastic drink bottles, which are a major component of environmental plastic waste. PET was first developed in the 1940s, and the first living organism that can break down and use the carbon in PET was described in 2016 [DOI: 10.1126/science.aad6359] [DX]—found in sediment near a plastic recycling facility, naturally.
Journal Reference:
V. Tournier, C. M. Topham, A. Gilles et al. An engineered PET depolymerase to break down and recycle plastic bottles, Nature 580, 216–219 (2020) (DOI: doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2149-4)
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Saturday April 11 2020, @10:59PM (4 children)
Recycling the plastic into new plastic items reduces the need to synthesize more plastic. However, I get the impression that there's already too much plastic in existence on the planet. We could therefore do with enzymes that can break it down into compounds that are harmless to natural organisms.
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @11:29PM (1 child)
There are already too many people in existence on the planet. We're could therefore do with viruses that can break people down into compounds that are harmless to natural organisms.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Saturday April 11 2020, @11:58PM
Well, I'm not exactly going to disagree with you, but they have a tendency to get sort of upset when you word it quite like that...
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday April 11 2020, @11:44PM (1 child)
Consumer push for sustainability masks massive growth in plastic demand [platts.com]
Recycled plastics market will feel the heat from consumer demand in 2020 [platts.com]
Plastic demand is huge, growing, and you need to make recycled plastics cheaper to see more uptake. Matching the properties of "virgin" plastics is also helpful, if possible.
If you want to help the environment, increase the use of biodegradable plastic or incentivize the collection of tossed plastic.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Saturday April 11 2020, @11:57PM
Oh I know the demand is there. I just figure with an overpopulated planet, that leads to there being too much of the stuff. Anywhere it exists where it's subject to erosion, it can break down into microplastics or harmful pieces that can be mistaken for food.
Both great options which really need to be expanded on a massive scale.
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?