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Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to Thermal Embedding of Humicola insolens Cutinase: A Strategy for Improving Polyester Biodegradation in Seawater
ClearEmbedding an esterase mimic inside polyesters to realize rapid and complete degradation without compromising their utility
Researchers developed an innovative approach to accelerating plastic degradation by embedding a molecular mimic of the enzyme esterase directly inside a biodegradable polyester material. This allowed the plastic to break down rapidly and completely during composting without compromising its performance during normal use. The study presents a practical strategy for managing post-consumer biodegradable plastics and improving composting efficiency.
Enhancing environmmental biodegradation of polyesters
Researchers investigated strategies to enhance the environmental biodegradation of polyester-based packaging polymers, proposing two pathways: a smart material design concept that incorporates degradation-facilitating additives, and an enzymatic approach using engineered polyesterases. The work addresses the practical challenge that biodegradable polyesters degrade too slowly under real environmental conditions, generating persistent microplastic fragments, and aims to close this gap between certified biodegradability and actual environmental breakdown.
Near-complete depolymerization of polyesters with nano-dispersed enzymes
Researchers developed a method to embed tiny enzyme particles inside biodegradable plastics, enabling the plastics to break down almost completely in ordinary compost and tap water within days. This approach achieved up to 98% conversion of the plastic back to small molecules, avoiding the creation of microplastic fragments that occur with conventional degradation. The technology could help solve the microplastic pollution problem by ensuring that biodegradable plastics actually decompose fully rather than fragmenting into harmful microplastic particles.
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.
Enzymatic remediation of polyester microfibers in sewage sludge and green compost samples
Researchers tested a heat-tolerant enzyme (LCC ICCG cutinase) on PET plastic microfibers in sewage sludge and compost, successfully breaking down up to 16.6 mg of PET per cubic centimeter within 24 hours — demonstrating that enzyme-based bioremediation could help remove microplastics from agricultural biofertilizers before they contaminate soil.
Biodegradation of microplastics: Advancement in the strategic approaches towards prevention of its accumulation and harmful effects
This review assessed advances in strategic approaches to microplastic biodegradation, covering microbial enzymes, biofilm-mediated degradation, and conditions that enhance breakdown rates, with the goal of identifying practical paths to reducing environmental microplastic accumulation.
Review on plastic wastes in marine environment – Biodegradation and biotechnological solutions
Researchers reviewed plastic biodegradation in the marine environment, cataloguing microbial communities that colonize plastic surfaces and the enzymes they produce, while highlighting biotechnological strategies — including enzyme engineering and biofilm optimization — as necessary complements to physical and chemical approaches for reducing micro- and nanoplastic contamination.
Enhancing environmmental biodegradation of polyesters
Researchers investigated two pathways for enhancing the environmental biodegradation of polyester-based packaging polymers: a smart additive-based material design concept and an engineered enzymatic degradation approach using optimised polyesterases. The work addresses the gap between the theoretical biodegradability of polyesters like PLA and PBAT and their actual slow degradation in natural environments, which leads to persistent microplastic generation during the end-of-life phase.
Biodegradation of weathered polystyrene films in seawater microcosms
Researchers found that natural marine bacterial communities, especially after adapting to plastic surfaces over time, can measurably break down weathered polystyrene films in seawater under realistic ocean conditions. Chemical and physical analysis confirmed actual degradation of the plastic's molecular structure, suggesting that ocean microbes play a role in the slow natural breakdown of plastic pollution.
Identification of Cutinolytic Esterase from Microplastic-Associated Microbiota Using Functional Metagenomics and Its Plastic Degrading Potential
Researchers used functional metagenomics to discover a new enzyme from bacteria living on microplastic surfaces that can break down certain types of plastic. The enzyme, a cutinolytic esterase, showed strong activity against synthetic polyester materials and could degrade polycaprolactone film. The findings suggest that microplastic-associated microbial communities are a promising source of novel plastic-degrading enzymes.
Marine PET Hydrolase (PET2): Assessment of Terephthalate- and Indole-Based Polyester Depolymerization
This study characterized a marine-derived enzyme (PET2) capable of breaking down PET plastic under mild conditions, assessing its efficiency for enzymatic recycling. Enzyme-based PET recycling could prevent plastic waste from fragmenting into the microplastics that accumulate in oceans and organisms.
Targeting microplastic particles in the void of diluted suspensions
Researchers engineered a plastic-degrading enzyme by fusing a polymer-binding peptide to a bacterial cutinase, accelerating the breakdown of polyester-polyurethane nanoparticles by 6.7-fold and cutting the degradation half-life from 42 hours to just 6 hours. This approach of using 'anchor peptides' to direct enzymes to plastic surfaces could be a powerful strategy for breaking down microplastic and nanoplastic pollution.
Biodegradation behavior of polyesters with various internal chemical structures and external environmental factors in real seawater
Researchers tested how different types of biodegradable polyester plastics break down in real ocean conditions off the coast of South Korea. They found that the chemical structure of each polyester, particularly its crystallinity and glass transition temperature, significantly influenced how quickly it degraded. The study provides practical guidance for designing biodegradable plastics that will actually break down effectively in marine environments.
A Novel Polyester Hydrolase From the Marine Bacterium Pseudomonas aestusnigri – Structural and Functional Insights
Researchers characterized a novel polyester hydrolase from the marine bacterium Pseudomonas aestusnigri and solved its crystal structure, finding the enzyme can degrade PET and other polyesters, offering new insights into marine plastic biodegradation mechanisms.
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.
Evaluation of Functional and Degradation Properties of Enzyme‐Embedded PLA Films: A Multi‐Analytical Approach and Evaluation of Microplastics Post‐Degradation
This study developed polylactic acid (PLA) films embedded with enzymes designed to help the material degrade more quickly, and then characterized what happens to the plastic during and after degradation — including what kind of microplastic residues are left behind. While enzyme addition accelerated surface breakdown and increased porosity, it also slightly reduced the film's mechanical and thermal strength. Critically, investigating the microplastic byproducts of degradable plastics is important for ensuring that "eco-friendly" materials do not simply create a new wave of micro- and nanoplastic pollution.
Bioplastics in the Sea: Rapid In-Vitro Evaluation of Degradability and Persistence at Natural Temperatures
Researchers evaluated the marine degradability of multiple bioplastic materials at natural seawater temperatures, finding that most bioplastics persist in ocean environments rather than degrading quickly, challenging assumptions that bioplastics represent a straightforward solution to marine plastic pollution.
Synergistic Enzyme Mixtures to Realize Near‐Complete Depolymerization in Biodegradable Polymer/Additive Blends
Researchers developed synergistic enzyme mixtures capable of achieving near-complete depolymerization of biodegradable polyester blends containing additives, demonstrating that nanoscopically embedded enzymes can be programmed for processive chain-end depolymerization with degradation rates dependent on polymer morphology.
Enzymatic Self-Biodegradation of Poly(l-lactic acid) Films by Embedded Heat-Treated and Immobilized Proteinase K
Polylactic acid plastic films containing embedded enzyme proteinase K successfully biodegraded from the inside out, losing 78% of their weight in four days. Immobilizing the enzyme improved its heat stability during manufacturing, offering a new concept for self-biodegrading plastics that could reduce microplastic accumulation in the environment.
Nanoplastics and microplastics released from an enzyme-embedded biodegradable polyester during hydrolysis
Researchers studied the release of micro- and nanoplastics from a biodegradable polyester (polycaprolactone) embedded with an enzyme designed to accelerate its breakdown. They found that the embedded enzyme dramatically sped up hydrolysis but also produced significantly more microplastic and nanoplastic particles compared to external enzyme treatment. The study raises important questions about whether enzyme-embedded biodegradable plastics might actually increase micro- and nanoplastic pollution during their degradation.