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MIXed plastics biodegradation and UPcycling using microbial communities: EU Horizon 2020 project MIX-UP started January 2020
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Researchers introduced the EU-funded MIX-UP project, which aims to use microbial communities and engineered enzymes to biodegrade and upcycle mixed plastic waste — including polyethylene, polypropylene, PET, and polystyrene — into valuable chemicals and new biomaterials. The project represents a shift from traditional plastic recycling toward biological circular economy approaches that could handle the plastic types most difficult to recycle mechanically.
This article introduces the EU Horizon 2020 research project MIX-UP, "Mixed plastics biodegradation and upcycling using microbial communities". The project focuses on changing the traditional linear value chain of plastics to a sustainable, biodegradable based one. Plastic mixtures contain five of the top six fossil-based recalcitrant plastics [polyethylene (PE), polyurethane (PUR), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS)], along with upcoming bioplastics polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polylactate (PLA) will be used as feedstock for microbial transformations. Consecutive controlled enzymatic and microbial degradation of mechanically pre-treated plastics wastes combined with subsequent microbial conversion to polymers and value-added chemicals by mixed cultures. Known plastic-degrading enzymes will be optimised by integrated protein engineering to achieve high specific binding capacities, stability, and catalytic efficacy towards a broad spectrum of plastic polymers under high salt and temperature conditions. Another focus lies in the search and isolation of novel enzymes active on recalcitrant polymers. MIX-UP will formulate enzyme cocktails tailored to specific waste streams and strives to enhance enzyme production significantly. In vivo and in vitro application of these cocktails enable stable, self-sustaining microbiomes to convert the released plastic monomers selectively into value-added products, key building blocks, and biomass. Any remaining material recalcitrant to the enzymatic activities will be recirculated into the process by physicochemical treatment. The Chinese-European MIX-UP consortium is multidisciplinary and industry-participating to address the market need for novel sustainable routes to valorise plastic waste streams. The project's new workflow realises a circular (bio)plastic economy and adds value to present poorly recycled plastic wastes where mechanical and chemical plastic recycling show limits.
More Papers Like This
MIXed Plastics Biodegradation and UPcycling Using Microbial Communities: The EU Horizon 2020 Project MIX-UP
AI summary Read the abstract
This paper introduces the EU Horizon 2020 MIX-UP project, which aims to develop microbial communities capable of biodegrading and upcycling mixed plastic waste including polyethylene, polyurethane, polypropylene, PET, and polystyrene. The project seeks to transform the linear plastic economy into a circular, biodegradation-based one.
Toward Microbial Recycling and Upcycling of Plastics: Prospects and Challenges
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This review examines the prospects and challenges of using microorganisms to recycle and upcycle plastic waste, assessing the current state of microbial degradation research across major polymer types. The authors identify metabolic engineering and synthetic biology as key tools needed to make biological plastic recycling economically viable at scale.
Cutting-edge developments in plastic biodegradation and upcycling via engineering approaches
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This review examines how engineering approaches from synthetic biology and metabolic engineering can improve both the breakdown and upcycling of plastic waste. Researchers found that various microorganisms and their enzymes can degrade plastics and convert the resulting monomers into valuable products like biosurfactants, bioplastics, and biochemicals. The study suggests that optimizing microbial pathways and using hybrid chemo-biological approaches could help build a more sustainable circular plastic economy.
Biological Upcycling of Plastics Waste
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This review summarizes research on using biological systems -- including enzymes, bacteria, and engineered microbes -- to break down plastic waste into useful chemicals and materials. Rather than traditional recycling that produces lower-quality plastic each time, biological approaches can convert waste plastics into valuable products like biodegradable plastics, fuels, and specialty chemicals, potentially reducing the flow of plastics into the environment where they break into harmful microplastics.
Biotechnological model for ubiquitous mixed petroleum- and bio-based plastics degradation and upcycling into bacterial nanocellulose
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Researchers demonstrated a biotechnological approach for breaking down mixed petroleum-based and bio-based plastic waste and converting it into valuable bacterial nanocellulose. The system used engineered microbial communities to simultaneously degrade different plastic types that are typically difficult to recycle together. The study presents a promising model for sustainable end-of-life management of mixed plastic waste streams, addressing a key challenge in reducing plastic pollution.
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