Page 40 - Plastics News June - 2020

Scientists claim a new enzyme can recycle plastic bottles within hours

Researchers working for Carbios, a firm based in France,
have created an enzyme which breaks down plastic.

The scientists believe the enzyme could eventually make
plastics biodegradable. The enzyme, PET hydrolase, is a
bacterial enzyme which was found in a compost heap of
leaves. Although PET can be recycled, parts of it may end
up in landfill. This enzyme can break down plastic
bottles into chemical parts, and then be used to
manufacture other plastic bottles. There are drawbacks,
however, as PET bottles have to be processed, heated
and ground-up before they can be broken down - which
means an increased cost for the material. It is hoped the
enzyme will be produced on an industrial level by 2024.
The research has been published in the journal Nature.
CARBIOS is pioneering the use of enzymes to degrade the
polymers that make up plastic materials. This improved PET hydrolase that ultimately achieves, over
breakthrough innovation developed by CARBIOS involves 10 hours, a minimum of 90 per cent PET
embedding enzymes into plastic materials, thus depolymerization into monomers, with a productivity of
enabling them to fully biodegrade themselves with a 16.7 grams of terephthalate per litre per hour (200
controlled life span, after use or while the plastics are grams per kilogram of PET suspension, with an enzyme
scattered in the environment, into base molecules that concentration of 3 milligrams per gram of PET). This
can be assimilated by the micro-organisms in nature. highly efficient, optimized enzyme outperforms all PET
Several PET hydrolase enzymes have been reported, but hydrolases reported so far.
show limited productivity. Here we describe an

Scientists urge more research on Plastics for sustainable economy

A new report by an international union of chemical material. According to the report, there are four main
scientists, business leaders and government figures calls research hurdles in relation to plastics. These include
for more global research on plastics and its impacts. understanding the impact of plastics over its entire life-
Without fully understanding plastics, the experts say, we cycle, developing new eco-friendly plastics that can be
will be unable to ensure a sustainable future for such a fully recycled, creating a closed-loop plastic recycling
crucial material that plays many roles in society. The system, and developing non-toxic and degradable
plastic materials. Speaking to Forbes, Oxford
University professor of chemistry Charlotte
Williams said: “The starting assumption that plastic
is bad is probably not a sensible one.” Williams
argued that while disposable and single-use plastic
packaging is a very serious problem for the
environment and public awareness of it has grown
in recent years, there are other uses of plastics in
many other sectors and industries where solutions
must be developed, from fashion to renewable
energy. “Actually plastics and polymers are useful
for lots and lots of applications, including much
cleaner technologies of the future,” she explained.
Electric vehicles, alternative energy, medical
advances, new furnishing, new clothes, new
experts from Japan, United Kingdom, Germany and components within shampoo they all contain plastic
China gathered to discuss the impact of plastics on the polymers. They all have polymeric components, so if we
environment, new sustainable plastic alternatives, want a future with more drones and robots, we're going
recyclability of plastics and the degradation of the to need better plastics.”

June 2020 40 Plastics News