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Eco-microbiology: discovering biochemical enhancers of PET biodegradation by Piscinibacter sakaiensis
Summary
Researchers are working to accelerate the biodegradation of PET plastic by Piscinibacter sakaiensis, a bacterium that naturally evolved to consume this common type of plastic. Using bioactivity screens and degradation tests, they identified a small number of biochemical conditions that more than doubled the PET biodegradation rate. The work provides a foundation for developing a fermentation process that could help address PET plastic pollution at scale.
Plastic pollution is an urgent issue. Adding to the well-known problems of bulk plastic litter, shed microplastics and nanoplastics are globally distributed, found in diverse organisms including human foodstuffs and tissues, and increasingly associated with chronic disease. Solutions are needed and the microbial world offers abundant help via naturally evolved consumers of plastic waste. We are working to accelerate polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic biodegradation by Piscinibacter sakaiensis, a recently described bacterium that evolved to slowly but completely consume PET, one of the most common types of plastic pollution. We used a combination of PET-dependent bioactivity screens and biodegradation tests to find stimulators of PET biodegradation. Out of hundreds, we found a small number of biochemical conditions that more than double the PET biodegradation rate. Our work provides a foundation for further studies to realize a fermentation process needed to help solve PET plastic pollution.