Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Breakdown of polyethylene therepthalate microplastics under saltwater conditions using engineered Vibrio natriegens

Scientists engineered a marine bacterium, Vibrio natriegens, to break down PET plastic into its basic chemical building blocks in saltwater conditions at moderate temperatures. The engineered bacteria display enzymes on their cell surface that can depolymerize PET without needing any pretreatment of the plastic. This biological approach could eventually help address ocean microplastic pollution, though significant work remains to scale the technology from the laboratory to real-world applications.

2023 AIChE Journal 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of the halophilic PET hydrolase PET6 from Vibrio gazogenes

Researchers investigated PET6, a PETase enzyme from the salt-tolerant marine bacterium Vibrio gazogenes, finding it capable of hydrolyzing polyethylene terephthalate plastic, opening new prospects for biological plastic degradation and enzymatic recycling applications adapted to marine environments where microplastic pollution is prevalent.

2022 Protein Science 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of PET Plastics by Wastewater Bacteria Engineered via Conjugation

Researchers demonstrated a proof-of-concept approach for reducing PET microplastic pollution in wastewater by engineering bacteria in situ via conjugation to express PET-degrading enzymes. The study used a broad-host-range conjugative plasmid to transfer PET hydrolase genes into native wastewater bacterial communities.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Using a marine microalga as a chassis for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) degradation

Researchers genetically engineered a marine microalgae to produce enzymes that break down PET plastic (the kind used in bottles and synthetic fibers), demonstrating for the first time that a saltwater microalgae can be used as a biological platform for PET degradation. This proof-of-concept points toward eco-friendly, ocean-based solutions for tackling plastic pollution at its source.

2019 Microbial Cell Factories 313 citations
Article Tier 2

Engineering microalgae as a whole cell catalyst for PET degradation

Researchers engineered the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum to express PETase, a plastic-degrading enzyme, creating a solar-powered whole-cell biocatalyst capable of breaking down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) under saltwater conditions without external energy inputs.

2021 Methods in enzymology on CD-ROM/Methods in enzymology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of PET by the membrane-anchored PET esterase from the marine bacterium Rhodococcus pyridinivorans P23

Researchers identified a membrane-anchored enzyme from the marine bacterium Rhodococcus pyridinivorans that can break down PET plastic. The enzyme, displayed on the cell's surface, not only depolymerizes PET but also hydrolyzes its breakdown products under acidic conditions. The study provides new insight into how marine microorganisms naturally biodegrade plastic pollution, which could inform future bioremediation strategies.

2023 Communications Biology 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Enzymatic Degradation of Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastics by Bacterial Curli Display PETase

Researchers engineered bacteria to display a PET-degrading enzyme on their surface, creating a reusable biocatalyst capable of breaking down polyethylene terephthalate plastics. The system worked under various conditions, remained stable for at least 30 days, and could even degrade PET microplastics in wastewater and highly crystalline consumer plastic waste. This biological approach offers a promising environmentally friendly alternative for plastic recycling and waste treatment.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 85 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of PET plastic by a marine strain Rhodococcus pyridinivorans P23 with a membrane anchoring PET esterase in a biofilm model

Researchers isolated a marine bacterium from deep sea sediment that can biodegrade PET plastic using a membrane-anchored enzyme, demonstrating the first marine biofilm-based PET degradation mechanism. Marine microorganisms capable of breaking down plastics in ocean environments could help reduce microplastic accumulation over long timescales.

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

Targeted aggregation of PETase towards surface of Stenotrophomonas pavanii for degradation of PET microplastics

Researchers developed a strategy to target PETase enzyme to the surface of Stenotrophomonas pavanii bacteria, improving the efficiency of in-situ PET microplastic degradation. Surface-displayed PETase showed significantly enhanced PET hydrolysis compared to free enzyme, offering a practical approach to microbial degradation of dispersed PET microplastics in environmental settings.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards synthetic PETtrophy: Engineering Pseudomonas putida for concurrent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) monomer metabolism and PET hydrolase expression

Researchers engineered a soil bacterium to simultaneously break down PET plastic and use its building-block chemicals as food, identifying key bottlenecks in balancing enzyme production with bacterial fitness that will need to be resolved before such microbes can be used for large-scale plastic biodegradation.

2022 Microbial Cell Factories 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of PET plastic with engineered environmental bacteria

Scientists engineered a soil bacterium to break down PET plastic, one of the most common plastics in food packaging and textiles, by giving it the ability to produce and secrete a powerful plastic-degrading enzyme. This is one of the first demonstrations of a living microorganism that can directly consume PET as a food source, which could lead to more sustainable recycling approaches.

2024 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Microplastic Derived from Poly(ethylene terephthalate) with Bacterial Whole-Cell Biocatalysts

Engineered bacterial whole-cell biocatalysts were used to biodegrade PET microplastics under alkaline conditions, with the strain using PET as a sole carbon source and producing monomers that did not accumulate due to continuous cellular metabolism. The study demonstrates a combined enzymatic-microbial approach that overcomes product inhibition in enzymatic PET degradation.

2018 Polymers 158 citations
Article Tier 2

Establishment of a salt-induced bioremediation platform from marine Vibrio natriegens

Researchers engineered the salt-tolerant marine bacterium Vibrio natriegens with salt-responsive promoters to drive expression of pollutant-degrading genes, creating a bioremediation platform capable of functioning in high-salinity marine environments contaminated with plastics, petroleum, and heavy metals.

2022 Communications Biology 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Improvement of biodegradation of PET microplastics with whole-cell biocatalyst by interface activation reinforcement

Researchers developed a whole-cell biocatalysis strategy using alkali-resistant bacteria combined with surfactant-mediated interfacial activation to improve the biodegradation of PET microplastics, finding that Tween 20 most effectively enhanced the bio-interfacial activity between bacterial enzymes and the hydrophobic PET surface, leading to improved hydrolysis rates.

2022 Environmental Technology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics by an engineered Stenotrophomonas pavanii in the presence of biofilm

Scientists engineered a biofilm-forming bacterium to break down PET microplastics (the type found in water bottles and food containers) at room temperature. The engineered bacteria achieved significant PET degradation over 30 days and also worked on other polyester plastics, offering a potential biological solution for cleaning up microplastic pollution in water environments.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics by wastewater bacteria engineered via conjugation

Scientists engineered wastewater bacteria to break down PET plastic, one of the most common microplastic types, by transferring plastic-degrading genes through a natural DNA-sharing process. The modified bacteria could partially degrade a consumer PET product in 5 to 7 days. This proof-of-concept approach could help reduce the amount of microplastics released from wastewater treatment plants into the environment.

2024 Microbial Biotechnology 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioprospecting for polyesterase activity relevant for PET degradation in marine Enterobacterales isolates

Researchers screened marine Enterobacterales isolates for polyesterase activity capable of degrading PET plastic, identifying bacterial strains from marine environments as candidates for bioremediation strategies targeting one of the world's most problematic plastic pollutants.

2023 AIMS Microbiology 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Development and characterization of a bacterial enzyme cascade reaction system for efficient and stable PET degradation

Scientists engineered a bacterial system that displays plastic-degrading enzymes on the cell surface to efficiently break down PET plastic, achieving a 23% degradation rate of microplastics within 7 days. The system uses E. coli bacteria with specially designed protein fibers that both grip and digest PET fragments. This biotechnology approach could eventually help address the growing problem of microplastic pollution in water and soil environments.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 18 citations
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

Marine hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria breakdown poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)

Scientists used microcosm studies to investigate whether marine hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria can break down PET plastic, finding that specific bacterial strains could colonize and degrade PET surfaces, offering insights into natural plastic biodegradation in the ocean.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 108 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioengineering Comamonas testosteroni CNB-1: a robust whole-cell biocatalyst for efficient PET microplastic degradation

This study engineered Comamonas testosteroni CNB-1 as a whole-cell biocatalyst for degrading PET microplastics in biological wastewater treatment, addressing the accumulation of these particles in sewage sludge. The engineered bacterium demonstrated efficient PET degradation, offering a biotechnological solution to a pressing wastewater treatment challenge.

2023 Bioresources and Bioprocessing 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Current Knowledge on Polyethylene Terephthalate Degradation by Genetically Modified Microorganisms

This review covers genetically modified microorganisms engineered to degrade polyethylene terephthalate, examining how bioengineering of enzymes such as PETase and enhanced expression systems can overcome the low biodegradation rates of wild-type microorganisms toward this ubiquitous plastic.

2021 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 92 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of highly crystallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) through cell surface codisplay of bacterial PETase and hydrophobin

Researchers engineered yeast cells to display both a PET-degrading enzyme (PETase) and a sticky protein (hydrophobin) on their surface simultaneously, dramatically improving the breakdown of highly crystalline PET plastic — achieving a 329-fold increase in degradation rate compared to the purified enzyme alone. This whole-cell biocatalyst approach could make enzymatic plastic recycling far more practical and efficient.

2022 Nature Communications 126 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine PET Hydrolase (PET2): Assessment of Terephthalate- and Indole-Based Polyesters Depolymerization

Researchers characterized a marine enzyme (PET2) capable of breaking down PET plastic and related polyester materials under relatively mild conditions. Discovering and engineering enzymes that can degrade PET could help address the massive accumulation of PET microplastics in ocean environments.

2023 Preprints.org 1 citations