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Plastic pretreatment: The key for efficient enzymatic and biodegradation processes
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This review examines how physical, chemical, and biological pretreatments of plastic materials can dramatically improve the efficiency of subsequent enzymatic and microbial biodegradation by altering polymer crystallinity and surface area, offering a pathway to more effective and sustainable plastic recycling.
In recent years, enzymatic degradation and biodegradation have attracted great interest in the recycling of plastic waste. Compared to other recycling techniques, they have numerous advantages such as mild reaction conditions both in terms of temperature and pressure and the prevention in the use of toxic solvents. The monomers formed during the degradation processes can result in chemicals with high added value, which can be purified and reused at an industrial level. Unfortunately, numerous factors, both environmental and related to polymer's nature, influence enzymatic degradation and biodegradation, making them very complex processes. An effective way to increase degradation consists in subjecting the plastic material to pretreatments of various kinds, capable of inducing modifications in the polymer and making it more susceptible to the action of microorganisms or enzymes. This review has the objective of analyzing the literature of the last 15 years, to identify the most efficient pretreatments on the base of the polymer's chemistry, also considering technical-economic aspects.
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This study systematically evaluated how pretreatment methods and enzyme combinations affect the enzymatic breakdown of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic. Reducing crystallinity and modifying the plastic surface were found to be the most effective strategies for accelerating monomer release. The results provide a practical framework for optimizing enzymatic PET recycling processes at scale.
Current knowledge on enzymatic PET degradation and its possible application to waste stream management and other fields
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This review distinguished between enzymatic PET surface modification (useful for fiber treatment) and enzymatic PET degradation (needed for waste management), cataloguing the hydrolases capable of each function and the conditions required. The authors evaluate the prospects for deploying PET-degrading enzymes in industrial plastic waste streams.
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Polymer Chemistry: A primer to enzymatic polymer degradation
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This review primer covers how enzymes can be used to biodegrade polymers, with applications for chemical recycling of plastics and removal of microplastic debris from the environment. Enzymatic degradation offers a targeted, environmentally friendly approach to breaking down persistent plastic polymers at the source.
Biodegradation of Plastic and the Role of Microbial Enzymes in Plastic Waste Management
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This review examines how microbial enzymes, particularly PET hydrolases and oxidative enzymes, can depolymerize and break down common plastic polymers through biological degradation. The study suggests that enzymatic approaches to plastic waste management offer a promising complement to mechanical and chemical recycling, though optimizing enzyme activity and scaling up the process remain key challenges.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.