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In 2016, a group of Japanese researchers discovered a bacterium that grows on PET (polyethylene terephthalate, the material in plastic bottles) or Ideonella sakaiensisand it partially feeds on the polymer which, of course, is very difficult to degrade. PETase (the enzyme that degrades plastic) is often used for the process of destroying or even recycling plastic, as bacteria use PET as an important source of carbon and energy for growth.
But recently, the same team has produced a Solution to get rid of plastic found in trash faster: a combination of “mixed” bacteria to consume and degrade plastic.
Research from the University of Portsmouth, recently published in the journal procedures of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals they tried Combine the PETase enzyme with another enzyme – MHETase also capable of degrading plastic – to create a new “superzyme” capable of digesting plastic almost six times faster than the original organism.
“The recent discovery of a two-enzyme system for the deconstruction of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which allows one enzyme to convert the polymer to soluble intermediates and another enzyme to produce the constituent monomers of PET (MHETase), suggests that nature may be developing similar deconstruction strategies for synthetic plastics “, read in the article.
According to the researchers, This new enzyme may have important implications for the recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is the most widely used thermoplastic in single-use bottles, carpets and clothing.
Therefore, the team found that the combination of both enzymes accelerated the plastic ingestion process and restructured the biochemical composition of both enzymes to create a “two-enzyme system for depolymerization of PET”.
As PEtase breaks down PET into its basic carbon, hydrogen and oxygen structures, it makes the plastic recyclable. Also, plastic pollution can be significantly reduced.
When plastic is left in the environment, it takes years for the material to break down completely. However, PETase can consume plastic in a few days. And the combination of the two enzymes resulted in plastic consumption twice as fast as individually. Now, the research team increased the time of plastic consumption by “biochemical engineering” of these enzymes.
According to CNN John McGeehan, co-lead author and director of Enzyme innovation center from the University of Portsmouth, this latest development represents a breakthrough in the use of enzymes to recycle plastic and reduce plastic pollution.
“In fact, we were quite surprised that it worked so well.”said McGeehan, though he noted that the process “it’s still too slow” be commercially viable.
The researchers developed this new “superzyme,” also known as the “Pacman” enzyme, by mixing MHETase and PETase, building the enzymes’ DNA to create a long chain, McGeehan explained.
The technique is commonly used in the biofuel industry, which uses enzymes to break down celluloses, but McGeehan said this is the first time that enzymes have been produced that combine to break down plastic.
