Scientists create mutant enzyme that recycles plastic bottles in hours

[Judi Lynn]

Bacterial enzyme originally found in compost can be used to make high-quality new bottles

Damian Carrington Environment editor

@dpcarrington
Wed 8 Apr 2020 11.00 EDT

A mutant bacterial enzyme that breaks down plastic bottles for recycling in hours has been created by scientists.

The enzyme, originally discovered in a compost heap of leaves, reduced the bottles to chemical building blocks that were then used to make high-quality new bottles. Existing recycling technologies usually produce plastic only good enough for clothing and carpets.

The company behind the breakthrough, Carbios, said it was aiming for industrial-scale recycling within five years. It has partnered with major companies including Pepsi and L’Oréal to accelerate development. Independent experts called the new enzyme a major advance.

Billions of tonnes of plastic waste have polluted the planet, from the Arctic to the deepest ocean trench, and pose a particular risk to sea life. Campaigners say reducing the use of plastic is key, but the company said the strong, lightweight material was very useful and that true recycling was part of the solution.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/08/scientists-create-mutant-enzyme-that-recycles-plastic-bottles-in-hours

[saidsimplesimon]

1. Thank you, what could go wrong?

[cstanleytech]

5. Hmm you mean other than the worst case scenario of it somehow mutating and or escaping to the wild

to destroy the plastic worldwide causing massive problems from things like having no sterile plastic for certain medications that might require it and computers as well as other electronic devices? Not to much.

[lagomorph777]

8. Even worse, imagine if some of it were to "accidentally" get spilled on Trump's hairpiece?

Ewwwwww.

[cstanleytech]

9. I would say Melania probably has more to worry about than Trump.

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. Ouch!!

[MyOwnPeace]

2. NO WAY!!!!!!!

Ain't no way that shit's any good unless IQ45 can find some way to make some $$$$ out of it! Otherwise, its some of the same old BS - these "science nerds" trying to f**k up some guy's way to make some $$$ and destroy the world for kids we'll never know.

[Backseat Driver]

3. Until we can do that recycling by this new enzyme, you can learn about and remove plastic pollution

from the ocean by playing a free little trivia game each and every day at https://www.freetheocean.com.

[dixiegrrrrl]

16. Firefox says the link is not safe. n/t

[brush]

4. What could possibly go wrong with that on the loose?

[Igel]

6. It requires mixing and relatively high temperatures. n/t

[sl8]

7. Abstract from Nature article:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2149-4

An engineered PET depolymerase to break down and recycle plastic bottles

Published: 08 April 2020
An engineered PET depolymerase to break down and recycle plastic bottles

V. Tournier, C. M. Topham, A. Gilles, B. David, C. Folgoas, E. Moya-Leclair, E. Kamionka, M.-L. Desrousseaux, H. Texier, S. Gavalda, M. Cot, E. Guémard, M. Dalibey, J. Nomme, G. Cioci, S. Barbe, M. Chateau, I. André, S. Duquesne & A. Marty

Nature volume 580, pages216–219(2020)Cite this article



Abstract

Present estimates suggest that of the 359 million tons of plastics produced annually worldwide1, 150–200 million tons accumulate in landfill or in the natural environment2. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is the most abundant polyester plastic, with almost 70 million tons manufactured annually worldwide for use in textiles and packaging3. The main recycling process for PET, via thermomechanical means, results in a loss of mechanical properties4. Consequently, de novo synthesis is preferred and PET waste continues to accumulate. With a high ratio of aromatic terephthalate units—which reduce chain mobility—PET is a polyester that is extremely difficult to hydrolyse5. Several PET hydrolase enzymes have been reported, but show limited productivity6,7. Here we describe an improved PET hydrolase that ultimately achieves, over 10 hours, a minimum of 90 per cent PET depolymerization into monomers, with a productivity of 16.7 grams of terephthalate per litre per hour (200 grams per kilogram of PET suspension, with an enzyme concentration of 3 milligrams per gram of PET). This highly efficient, optimized enzyme outperforms all PET hydrolases reported so far, including an enzyme8,9 from the bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis strain 201-F6 (even assisted by a secondary enzyme10) and related improved variants11,12,13,14 that have attracted recent interest. We also show that biologically recycled PET exhibiting the same properties as petrochemical PET can be produced from enzymatically depolymerized PET waste, before being processed into bottles, thereby contributing towards the concept of a circular PET economy.

[...]

[Crazyleftie]

10. Since we all have plastic in our bodies. will

these enzymes devour humans as well???

[SunSeeker]

11. Anyone who bought stock in this company last week made a killing.

It was $13/share on Friday. Today it shot up to $35/share.

[mohamedghouse]

12. Nice, quality information

You might like this article please give you feedback

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have built up a gadget that utilizes a natural protein to Produce electricity from air around.

Another innovation they state could have significant implications for the future of sustainable power source, environmental change and later on for medication.

“We are actually making power out of air surrounded us,” said electrical architect Jun Yao from the University of Massachusetts Amherst back in February. “The Air-gen produces clean vitality all day, every day.”

The case may seem like an exaggeration, yet an ongoing report by Yao and his group describe how the air-controlled generator can be sure to make power with only the air around it. Everything Credit goes to who produced electrically conductive protein nanowires by Geobacter.

The Air-gen comprises a slight film of the protein nanowires estimating only 7 micrometers thick, situated between two anodes, yet additionally presented to the air.

In view of that presentation, the nanowire film can adsorb water vapour that exists in the environment, empowering the device to produce a continuous electrical current and flow-directed between the two terminals.

This charge diffusion is expected to induce a counterbalancing electrical field or potential analogous to the resting membrane potential in biological systems, the researcher explained in their study.
And using nothing but ambient humidity (even in regions as dry as the Sahara Desert).

More about project

“The ultimate goal is to make large-scale systems,” Yao said, explaining that future efforts could use the technology to power homes via nanowire incorporated into wall paint.

“Once we get to an industrial scale for wire production, I fully expect that we can make large systems that will make a major contribution to sustainable energy production.”

a ready source of nanowires might not be enough, says Gemma Reguera, a microbiologist at Michigan State University who has used E. coli to make peptides that are the protein nanowires’ building blocks. For now, the device relies on Geobacter’s nanowires.

Because shearing nanowires off Geobacter can yield wires of different compositions, “It’s not exactly clear what they are probing” when Yao and Lovely experiment with their air-gen, she says.
[link:https://healthandsciencereview.com/electricity-from-air/|

[pansypoo53219]

13. is my polartec safe?

[marble falls]

14. Whats the down side?