Page 52 - Platics News June 2022

TECHNOLOGY

Scientists Discover New Enzyme at Can Chomp Closed-Loop Additive
O Plastic In Record 16 Hours Manufacturing Fueled By
Upcycled Plastic

esearchers at the Department of
REnergy's Oak Ridge National
Laboratory have developed an up-
cycling approach that adds value to
discarded plastics for reuse in addi-
S cientists from Leipzig University two times faster than the LLC. e tive manufacturing, or 3D printing.
e readily adoptable, scalable meth-
ndings have now been published in
Germany have
discovered a
new
od introduces a closed-loop strategy
enzyme that can chomp o plastic in the scienti c journal ‘ChemSusChem’.
that could globally reduce plastic
record 16 hours. Usually, it takes hun- “ e enzyme discovered in Leipzig can
waste and cut carbon emissions tied
dreds of years for plastic to break down make an important contribution to to plastic production. e team up-
naturally, but scientists from Germany establishing alternative energy-saving graded acrylonitrile butadiene sty-
have now discovered a highly e cient plastic recycling processes," said mi- rene, or ABS, a popular thermoplas-
enzyme that degrades PET in record crobiologist Wolfgang Zimmermann tic found in everyday objects ranging
time. e discovery is being hailed as a from Leipzig University in Germany, from auto parts to tennis balls to
LEGO blocks. ABS is a popular
gamechanger, considering the dire state according to Sciencealert. " e bio-
feedstock for fused lament fabrica-
of plastic pollution worldwide. e en- catalyst now developed in Leipzig has
tion, or FFF, one of the most widely
zyme, which has been called polyester been shown to be highly e ective in the
used 3D-printing methods. e
hydrolase (PHL7), was recently found rapid decomposition of used PET food
upcycled version boasts enhanced
at a German cemetery, chewing o packaging and is suitable for use in an strength, toughness and chemical
the compost. e scientists from Leip- environmentally friendly recycling pro- resistance, making it attractive for
zig University then took the enzyme cess in which new plastic can be pro- FFF to meet new and higher perfor-
to their lab, during which they found duced from the decomposition prod- mance applications not achievable
that the enzyme was able to decompose ucts." Moreover, the scientists found with standard ABS. "We will need
fundamental discoveries to overcome
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by that PHL7 doesn't even require any
the challenges of increased costs and
90% in less than 16 hours. Notably, pre-treatment to decompose plastics.
deteriorating material properties as-
this isn’t the rst plastic eater enzyme It will eat plastic without grinding or
sociated with recycling," said lead
discovered. In 2016, a PET-guzzling melting. " us, by employing powerful author Tomonori Saito of ORNL's
enzyme called LLC was found at a re- enzymes such as PHL7 it is possible to Chemical Sciences Division. e
cycling plant in Japan. It is considered directly recycle post-consumer thermo- team dissolved mixed plastic waste
to be a particularly e ective "plastic form PET packaging in a closed-loop in various solvents, and in each ex-
eater. But the German scientists found process with a low carbon footprint periment upcycled ABS maintained
that the newly found PHL7 is at least and without the use of petrochemicals. its structure, while all other plastics
including ABS completely dissolved.

52 PLASTICS NEWS June 2022