PNAS discovers new leap in tackling plastic waste problem: a new enzyme

Scientists who pioneered the use of enzymes to eat plastic have taken an important next step in developing a nature-based solution to the global plastic crisis

They have characterized an enzyme with a remarkable ability to help break down terephthalate (TPA), one of the chemical building blocks of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, PET plastic is used to make single-use beverage bottles, clothing and carpets

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), was led by McGeehan, a professor at Montana State University and others, who led an international team of researchers in 2018 to design a natural enzyme that breaks down PET plastic

Professor DuBois said: "While EG is a very versatile chemical, for example, it's part of the antifreeze you put in your car, TPA doesn't have many uses other than PET, and it's not the majority of Something that bacteria can digest

With more than 400 million tons of plastic waste generated each year, the vast majority of it ends up in landfills, and it is hoped that this work will open the door to improving bacterial enzymes such as TPADO

Professor McGeehan, director of the University's Centre for Enzyme Innovation, said: "In the past few years, there has been incredible progress in enzyme engineering to break down PET plastic into its building blocks

"Using the powerful X-rays of the Diamond Light Source, we were able to generate a detailed 3D structure of the TPADO enzyme, revealing how it performs this critical reaction

The research was carried out as part of the BOTTLE Consortium, an international collaboration between the US and the UK that brings together researchers from a wide range of scientific fields to tackle plastic recycling and upcycling

article title

Biochemical and structural characterization of an aromatic ring–hydroxylating dioxygenase for terephthalic acid catabolism