[China Packaging News] When investigating the natural counterparts of plastics, British researchers accidentally discovered the bacterial enzyme " PETase " that can "swallow" plastics .
According to 70% of soft drinks, juices and mineral water are sold in bottles made of PET , which puts a lot of pressure on environmental protection-waste PET lasts for hundreds of years in the environment before it degrades.
This week, John McGeehan of the University of Portsmouth said that using a natural enzyme called PETase can "digest" plastic containers. When exploring the molecular structure of bacteria, the British team inadvertently created a powerful new version of the protein.
This discovery has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
However, there are still many studies to be completed before PETase is actually launched. The current improved version of a liter of enzyme solution can only break down a few milligrams of plastic per day, so researchers need to further improve its plastic digestibility.
"Although the improvement is not large, this unexpected finding shows that there is room for further improvement of these enzymes, so that we are expected to launch a recycling solution that decomposes the plastic waste mountain."
"This technology exists, and in the next few years we will see an industrially feasible process that can restore PET and potentially other (plastic) substrates to their original infrastructure, thereby making them sustainable Recycle. "
Portsmouth scientists collaborated with American colleagues to irradiate bacteria with intense X -ray beams at the diamond light synchrotron factory in Havel, Oxfordshire .
The X -rays generated by accelerating electrons around the circular tunnel are 10 billion times brighter than the solar light generated at the facility . X -rays can be used to reveal the fine structure of materials and biomolecules down to the level of a single atom.
Scientists have redesigned this molecule, resulting in mutant proteins with enhanced plastic attack and decomposition capabilities.
In addition to digest PET, but also novel enzymes capable of degrading poly-furan dicarboxylate (polyethylene furandicarboxylate), this plastic glass beer bottles known alternatives.
"We can all play an important role in solving plastic problems, but ultimately the scientific community that created these 'magic materials' must now use all existing technology to develop real solutions."