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Metabolic engineering of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 for upcycling of terephthalic acid into levulinic acid
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Scientists engineered bacteria to "eat" terephthalic acid (TPA), a chemical byproduct from breaking down plastics like PET and PBAT that lingers in the environment and contributes to pollution, and convert it into levulinic acid, a useful chemical for making everything from biofuels to medicines. This matters because instead of just breaking down plastic waste, we could potentially transform it into something valuable, turning an environmental pollutant into a resource, which could help reduce plastic accumulation in ecosystems long-term. This is early-stage lab research, so it's not yet a solution you'll see in recycling plants
Terephthalic acid (TPA) is an aromatic dicarboxylic acid that is widely used as a monomer in the production of polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). However, its chemical stability causes TPA to persistently accumulate in the natural environment after plastic degradation and cause secondary pollution. Therefore, we engineered a Pseudomonas putida KT2440 strain capable of utilizing TPA as a substrate to produce levulinic acid (LA), a key intermediate in the synthesis of polymers, pharmaceuticals, solvents, plasticizers, and biofuels. Although P. putida KT2440 possesses robust central metabolic pathways, it lacks the enzymatic steps required for LA biosynthesis. To establish an LA producing pathway from TPA, phospho-2-dehydro-3-deoxyheptonate aldolase (AroG), 3-dehydroshikimate dehydratase (AsbF), and acetoacetate decarboxylase (Adc) were integrated into the pcaIJ locus and introduced tpaK, tphA, and tphB into a pcaIJ and lvaR knocked out P. putida KT2440 (GP102). The engineered P. putida KT2440 GP102 strain used TPA as the sole carbon source and produced 4.9 mM of LA from 6 mM of TPA after optimization. Under continuous TPA feeding, a maximum of 8.75 mM LA was produced, however, substrate accumulation inhibited cell growth and reduced LA productivity, resulting in 7.44 mM LA at 96 h. To address this limitation, glycerol was supplemented with TPA as a co-substrate, which enhanced bacterial growth and TPA utilization and yielded 25.40 mM of LA at 96 h. This study is the first to report biological conversion of TPA to LA in P. putida KT2440 and demonstrates the potential of TPA as a valuable platform chemical for sustainable bioprocessing.
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Scientists found a way to break down "compostable" plastic (PLA) waste and feed it to bacteria, which then transform it into a biodegradable plastic substitute called PHA — essentially turning plastic trash into new eco-friendly plastic. This matters because it offers a practical path to reduce plastic waste piling up in landfills and oceans, which can break down into microplastics that contaminate our food, water, and bodies. While still an early-stage lab process, this "chemical-biological recycling" approach could eventually help create truly circular, less polluting plastic products.
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Scientists engineered a bacterium that can actually eat and break down PET plastic (the kind used in water bottles and food containers) as its food source, even surviving in real wastewater. This matters because PET pollution breaks down into microplastics that contaminate our water, food, and bodies—and this bacteria-based approach could offer a more practical way to clean up plastic waste that's otherwise hard to collect and recycle.
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Scientists engineered special bacteria to "eat" broken-down plastic waste and turn it into useful products like lycopene (a valuable antioxidant found in tomatoes). This matters because it offers a promising new way to tackle plastic pollution by recycling waste into helpful compounds instead of letting it pile up in landfills or break down into microplastics that pollute our environment and food chain. While this research is still in the lab-development stage, it points toward future methods for cleaning up plastic waste more sustainably.
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Scientists engineered a bacterial enzyme to break down plastic waste more efficiently, turning PET (the plastic in water bottles) into valuable, reusable chemical building blocks instead of just breaking it into low-value pieces. This matters because better plastic recycling technology could reduce the mountains of plastic waste that eventually break down into microplastics—tiny particles increasingly found in our water, food, and even our bodies, where researchers are still studying their potential health effects.
Construction of a Heterologous Pathway in Escherichia coli for Terephthalate Assimilation
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This study engineered the bacterium Escherichia coli to break down terephthalic acid — one of the two building blocks released when PET plastic is depolymerized — and use it as a carbon source for growth. By introducing a transporter and enzyme cascade, and then applying adaptive laboratory evolution, the team achieved efficient bacterial growth on terephthalic acid alone. This work is relevant to microplastics because it advances biological PET recycling pathways that could divert plastic waste from the environment before it breaks down into microplastics.
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