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Enzyme-embedded polyesters for accelerated biodegradation in the deep sea.
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Researchers embedded enzymes into compostable plastics and tested them in coastal seawater and deep-sea locations down to 5,503 meters. The enzyme-embedded plastics broke down much faster than regular versions, reaching near-complete degradation at 757 meters within 5 months, while keeping similar strength to plastics without enzymes.
The accumulation of persistent plastics in the ocean is causing wide-ranging environmental problems1-3. Some commercially available compostable plastics4-7, developed to address these issues, degrade efficiently under industrial composting conditions; however, their degradation in marine environments, particularly in the deep sea, remains limited8-10. Here we demonstrate that thermally embedding enzymes into compostable polyesters (poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT)) significantly accelerates their degradation in both coastal and deep-sea environments from water depths of 2-6 m to 5,503 m. Enzyme-embedded polyesters achieved near-complete degradation at a deep-sea depth of 757 m within 5 months. Furthermore, moderate biodegradation of enzyme-embedded polyesters was observed under extreme conditions on deep-sea floors of 5,503 m. In coastal seawater, films embedded with trace amounts (0.1 wt%) of enzyme underwent rapid degradation. The mechanical properties of enzyme-embedded polyesters were similar to those of enzyme-free polyesters. Chemical analysis confirmed the formation of low-molecular-mass degradation products and biochemical oxygen demand measurements supported the mineralization of the enzyme-embedded polyesters. The enzyme-embedding strategy enables enhanced marine degradation of compostable polyesters and represents a potential solution to marine plastic pollution.
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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.