Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

An Overview into Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Hydrolases and Efforts in Tailoring Enzymes for Improved Plastic Degradation

This review examines the discovery and engineering of PET-degrading enzymes including PETase and cutinase variants, discussing protein engineering strategies to improve catalytic efficiency and thermostability for practical biodegradation of polyethylene terephthalate plastic waste.

2022 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 120 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in enzyme engineering for improved deconstruction of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) plastics

This review covers recent progress in engineering enzymes that can break down PET plastic, the material used in water bottles and food containers. While natural enzymes that digest PET have been discovered, they are not yet fast or durable enough for industrial-scale recycling. Advances in protein engineering, directed evolution, and computational design are steadily improving these enzymes, which could eventually provide a sustainable way to recycle PET and reduce microplastic pollution at its source.

2025 Communications Materials 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Enzymatic Remediation of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)–Based Polymers for Effective Management of Plastic Wastes: An Overview

Enzymatic approaches for remediating PET-based plastic waste were reviewed, covering PETase and related enzymes that can break PET into reusable monomers. Enzyme engineering strategies to improve thermostability and catalytic efficiency are discussed as a pathway to scalable biological PET recycling.

2020 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 193 citations
Article Tier 2

The Current State of Research on PET Hydrolyzing Enzymes Available for Biorecycling

This review summarizes the current state of PET-hydrolyzing enzymes, including thermophilic cutinases and engineered variants, that are candidates for enzymatic biorecycling of PET plastic waste back into reusable monomers.

2021 Catalysts 91 citations
Article Tier 2

Simulation Assisted Improvement of Plastic Degradation Enzyme PETase based Machine Learning Tools

Machine learning tools combined with molecular simulation were used to improve the performance of PETase, a plastic-degrading enzyme, for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) biodegradation. The approach identified key structural mutations that enhanced enzyme stability and catalytic efficiency, advancing enzymatic PET recycling.

2024 Theoretical and Natural Science
Article Tier 2

Genes for a Circular and Sustainable Bio-PET Economy

This review examines the genetics of enzymes that can biodegrade PET plastic, exploring how genetic engineering could accelerate the development of organisms capable of breaking down plastic waste. Enzymatic degradation of PET could help address plastic pollution including plastic bottles that break down into microplastics.

2019 Preprints.org 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in screening and identification of PET-degrading enzymes

Researchers reviewed recent advances in discovering and engineering enzymes capable of breaking down PET plastic, one of the most widely produced and persistent plastic types. They examined screening methods including metagenomic mining and machine learning approaches that have accelerated the identification of promising PET-degrading enzymes. The study suggests that enzymatic recycling could become a viable, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional PET disposal methods.

2024 Environmental Reviews 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization and Optimization of Biocatalysts for New Recycling Technologies

Researchers investigated the characterisation and optimisation of enzymatic biocatalysts capable of degrading synthetic plastics, addressing the limitations of conventional mechanical recycling that has proven largely ineffective at curbing plastic and microplastic accumulation in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The work explores how enzyme engineering and directed evolution can improve the efficiency of biological plastic breakdown as a pathway toward circular plastic recycling.

2024 Inquiry Queen s Undergraduate Research Conference Proceedings
Article Tier 2

An efficient strategy to tailor PET hydrolase: Simple preparation with high yield and enhanced hydrolysis to micro-nano plastics

This study developed a simplified, high-yield preparation method for PET-degrading hydrolase enzymes to improve their ability to break down PET nano- and microplastics. The engineered enzyme showed enhanced hydrolysis activity against PET microplastics, offering a more practical route to enzymatic plastic waste treatment.

2024 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Determinants for an Efficient Enzymatic Catalysis in Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Degradation

This review covers the current state of enzymatic PET degradation, examining which enzymes act on PET, how protein engineering has improved their activity, and what challenges remain before enzymatic recycling can be deployed at industrial scale.

2023 Catalysts 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Applications of Synthetic Biology in Microbial and Enzymatic Systems for Microplastic Degradation: A Review

This review examines how synthetic biology is being used to enhance the biological breakdown of microplastics, covering advances in enzyme engineering, whole-cell engineering, and metabolic pathway design. Researchers have achieved significant improvements in plastic-degrading enzymes like PETase through directed evolution and machine learning, enabling depolymerization of consumer plastics under increasingly mild industrial conditions.

2026 Sustainable Environmental Insight
Article Tier 2

Eco-Microbiology: Discovering Biochemical Enhancers of PET Biodegradation by Piscinibacter sakaiensis

This paper reviews biochemical strategies for enhancing PET biodegradation by microorganisms, focusing on the discovery and engineering of plastic-degrading enzymes. The review highlights recent advances and remaining challenges in scaling up enzymatic plastic degradation for industrial applications.

2024
Article Tier 2

Enhancing PET Degrading Enzymes: A Combinatory Approach

Scientists worked on improving enzymes that can break down PET plastic, one of the most common plastics in consumer products. Using a combinatory approach, researchers enhanced the performance of a naturally occurring PET-degrading enzyme from the bacterium Piscinibacter sakaiensis. The study suggests that engineered enzymes could eventually help create a circular economy for plastic waste by enabling efficient recycling at the molecular level.

2024 ChemBioChem 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Perspectives on the Role of Enzymatic Biocatalysis for the Degradation of Plastic PET

This review discusses the role of enzymatic biocatalysis in PET plastic degradation, examining how the discovery of PETase and subsequent enzyme engineering have advanced biodegradation as an alternative to chemical and mechanical recycling for one of the most produced plastics globally.

2021 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Explorations of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Hydrolase for addressing PET Plastic Pollution

This review explores the biology of PETase enzymes and their potential for addressing PET plastic pollution, covering the discovery of Ideonella sakaiensis and subsequent enzyme engineering efforts. Developing efficient PET-degrading enzymes is a promising biotechnological strategy for reducing plastic pollution at scale.

2019 The FASEB Journal 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of PETase in Plastic Biodegradation and Its Synthesis

This review examines how PETase enzymes can be used to biodegrade plastic waste, particularly polyethylene terephthalate, which is one of the most widely used plastics globally. Researchers discuss recent advances in modifying PETase enzymes for improved efficiency and establishing sustainable synthesis platforms. The study suggests that enzymatic biodegradation offers a promising biological solution to the growing plastic pollution crisis.

2024 E3S Web of Conferences 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Polyethylene Terephthalate Hydrolases: Current and Future Perspectives

This review surveys microbial enzymes capable of breaking down PET plastic, focusing on the structure and function of key hydrolases like PETase and cutinases. Researchers found that while several enzymes show promising PET-degrading activity, most work slowly and under limited temperature conditions, with engineered variants showing improved performance. The study highlights both the potential and the current limitations of using biological approaches for plastic waste management.

2020 Frontiers in Microbiology 168 citations
Article Tier 2

Computational redesign of a PETase for plastic biodegradation by the GRAPE strategy

Researchers engineered a more stable version of the enzyme PETase, which breaks down PET plastic, using a computational protein design strategy. The improved enzyme could enable more efficient industrial biodegradation of PET plastic waste, including microplastics.

2019 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic docking assisted engineering of hydrolase for efficient PET depolymerization

Researchers developed a computational protein engineering strategy called Affinity analysis based on Dynamic Docking (ADD) to enhance the PET-degrading enzyme leaf-branch-compost cutinase (LCC), producing a variant (LCC-A2) that degraded over 90% of post-consumer PET waste into monomers within 3.3 hours.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Current knowledge on enzymatic PET degradation and its possible application to waste stream management and other fields

This review distinguished between enzymatic PET surface modification (useful for fiber treatment) and enzymatic PET degradation (needed for waste management), cataloguing the hydrolases capable of each function and the conditions required. The authors evaluate the prospects for deploying PET-degrading enzymes in industrial plastic waste streams.

2019 Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 576 citations
Article Tier 2

Engineered polyethylene terephthalate hydrolases: perspectives and limits

This review examines progress in engineering enzymes that can break down PET plastic, the material used in most beverage bottles and synthetic textiles. Researchers found that while significant advances have been made through protein engineering and machine learning, no enzyme yet exists that can efficiently degrade the crystalline form of PET found in real-world waste. The study outlines the key challenges remaining before enzymatic plastic recycling can work at industrial scale, including handling microplastic contamination.

2024 Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization and engineering of a plastic-degrading aromatic polyesterase

Researchers characterized and engineered an aromatic polyesterase enzyme capable of degrading plastic polymers, improving its activity through protein engineering and demonstrating its potential as a tool for biodegradation-based plastic cleanup.

2018 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 1006 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of Enzyme-Based Approaches for Recycling PET on an Industrial Scale

This paper reviews the development of enzyme-based methods for breaking down PET plastic (used in bottles and packaging) at an industrial scale. While enzymatic recycling is a promising solution to plastic waste, current methods are still too slow and costly for widespread use. Improving these technologies could help reduce the enormous amount of PET entering the environment and breaking down into microplastics.

2024 Biochemistry 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Process development for PETase production and purification

Researchers developed a production and purification process for PETase, an enzyme capable of breaking down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic biologically, as an alternative to inadequate mechanical and chemical recycling methods for mixed and contaminated PET waste. The study addresses the global plastic pollution crisis by advancing the scalability of enzymatic PET degradation as a sustainable recycling pathway.

2024