Design of Plastic-Eating Enzyme to Combat Environmental Pollution

Scientists in the UK and the United States say they have designed a plastic-eating enzyme that could help combat pollution in the future. This enzyme is capable of digesting polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a type of plastic registered in the 1940s and currently used to make millions of tons of plastic bottles. PET plastics can remain in the environment for hundreds of years and are currently polluting large areas of land and sea around the world. Researchers from the University of Portsmouth in the UK and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy discovered this enzyme while studying the structure of a naturally evolved enzyme found in a waste recycling center in Japan. John McGeehan, a professor at the University of Portsmouth and one of the leaders of the project, said that after realizing this enzyme helps bacteria break down or digest PET plastic, scientists decided to manipulate its structure by adding some 'amino acids.' This action led to a significant change in the enzyme's activities, allowing it to work more quickly in breaking down plastics. McGeehan stated in an interview with Reuters, 'We have now created a modified version of the enzyme that works better than its natural counterpart. It’s really exciting because it means there’s even potential for further optimization of the enzyme.' The team, whose findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, is now working to improve the enzyme and see if it will have the ability to eliminate PET plastics on an industrial scale. McGeehan said, 'We may see an acceptable industrial process for converting PET and potentially other plastics in the coming years, where they return to their original structure in a way that can be sustainably recycled.' Independent scientists not directly involved in this research say that while this is exciting, they warn that the growth and evolution of the enzyme as a potential solution to combat pollution is still in its early stages. Oliver Jones, a chemistry expert at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said, 'Enzymes are non-toxic and biodegradable and can be produced in large quantities by microorganisms. There is great potential for using enzyme technology to help with the growing waste problem in society, where some common plastics can be recycled.' Douglas Cole, a biology professor at the University of Manchester, said, 'More work needs to be done, and the enzyme is expected to improve and evolve further.' He added, 'Everything indicates that this progress brings us closer to the goal of creating recyclable polymers.'