Phys.org April 16, 2018
An international team of researchers (UK, USA – DOE NERL, University of South Florida, Brazil) engineered an enzyme that is even better at degrading the plastic than the one that evolved in nature. The enzyme can also degrade polyethylene furandicarboxylate, or PEF, a bio-based substitute for PET plastics that is being hailed as a replacement for glass beer bottles. The researchers are now working on improving the enzyme further to allow it to be used industrially to break down plastics in a fraction of the time. The discovery could result in a recycling solution for millions of tonnes of plastic bottles, made of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Credit: University of Portsmouth