Page 53 - Plastics News April 2022

INSIGHTS

New Study Says Upcycling Is More Effective

ew research points to the benefits upcycling polymers, the end product in an environment like where it could
Nof upcycling plastic instead of re- can be even sturdier than its predeces- clean microplastics, our method has
cycling in order to keep it out of water- sor. “People have discovered an enzyme protected against high-temperature deg-
ways. Findings published in the journal — a bacteria that eats polyester to sur- radation, and one student was able to do
Proceedings of the National Academy vive and converts it into monomeric the testing.” The researchers say discov-
of Sciences suggest a major shift in how units,” Olvera de la Cruz said. “But ering a way to protect the enzyme from
we look at handling plastic waste. The they haven’t been able to use it because heat could allow for the encapsulation
research paper, “Functional Enzyme- it breaks down at a certain temperature. of microplastics to create an aggregate.
Polymer Complexes,” was led by a Our idea was to build polymers capable
Northwestern University team and sup- of encapsulating the enzyme to protect “You can make a new polymer with
ported by the U.S. Department of Ener- its structure, so that it can continue to the monomeric units,” Olvera de
gy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. The function outside of living cells and in la Cruz said. “These are dangerous
findings conclude that upcycling may the lab at sufficiently high temperatures things that are bad for our health. We
improve global plastic recovery rates sig- to be able to break down PET.” Olvera don’t need to make more. You can re-
nificantly while also providing a waste de la Cruz’s team used an enzyme that use the ones already here to make
removal component. Currently, less than an equally good plastic or better.”
ten percent of plastic products are prop- can be synthesized in a lab and pro- Typically considered of no value and
erly recycled—that’s if they can even be cessed without using solvents. The dis- very difficult to recycle, MLP waste
recycled at all. The researchers say that covery could also help spur solutions is one of the most polluting forms of
instead of pushing for more recycling, to removing microplastics from riv- plastic packaging and, if it is collected
the benefits of breaking down the plas- ers and oceans, the research team says. at all, is used for fuel, incineration, or
tics by deconstructing and rebuilding The team designed a polymer that’s able co-processing at cement plants. Chang-
their polymers, could be significantly to withstand heat without unraveling. It ing technology and entrepreneurial
more effective. This, the research team includes a water-repelling component as know-how has enabled Indian compa-
says, will drive breakthroughs in biotech- well as elements that work with the ac- nies to transform these multilayer plas-
nology, bioremediation, and medicine. tive parts of the enzyme. “We found that tics into valuable products at a scale not
Recycling vs. Upcycling if you put the complex of the polymer seen before in India. The dynamism
According to Northwestern researcher with the enzyme together, and close to a and size of the Indian market present
and lead author of the study, Monica Ol- plastic, and then you heat it up slightly, a huge opportunity for investment in
vera de la Cruz, recycling sees plastic ex- the enzyme was able to break it down the transition to a circular economy
posed to heat before being broken down into small, monomeric units,” Olvera de for plastics. So then let’s go upcycling.
into poorer quality plastic, whereas by la Cruz said. “In addition to operating

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53 PLASTICS NEWS April 2022