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Molecular docking analysis of PET with MHET
Summary
Researchers performed molecular docking analysis of PET polymer with mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalic acid (MHET), investigating how the enzyme from Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6 — a bacterium capable of degrading a thin PET film in six weeks — might be optimized to improve catalytic efficiency and expand substrate specificity for enzymatic plastic degradation.
An estimated 311 million tons of plastics are produced annually worldwide; 90% of these are derived from petrol. A considerable portion of these plastics is used for packaging (such as drinking bottles), but only ~14% is collected for recycling. Most plastics degrade extremely slowly, thus constituting a major environmental hazard, especially in the oceans, where microplastics are a matter of major concern. One potential solution for this problem is the synthesis of degradable plastics from renewable resources. From the microbial consortium, the researchers isolated a unique bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6 that could almost completely degrade a thin film of PET in a short span of six weeks at 30°C. The objective of the present study is to identify the ligands that may be exploited to improve catalysis and expand substrate specificity and thus significantly advance enzymatic plastic polymer degradation.