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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Harnessing extremophilic carboxylesterases for applications in polyester depolymerisation and plastic waste recycling
ClearMicrobial enzymes for the recycling of recalcitrant petroleum‐based plastics: how far are we?
This review examines the progress in identifying microbial enzymes capable of breaking down petroleum-based plastics like polyethylene, polystyrene, polyurethane, and PET. Researchers highlight recent advances in using polyester-degrading enzymes to recover raw materials from PET waste through biocatalytic recycling. The study discusses the potential and remaining challenges of using biological approaches to address the growing global problem of plastic waste accumulation.
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.
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.
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.
Enzyme-Assisted Depolymerization of Polymers
This review examines enzyme-assisted depolymerization of both synthetic plastics (PET, PLA) and biomass polymers (polysaccharides, lignin), covering the mechanisms and application potential of lipases, esterases, cellulases, lignin peroxidases, and chitosanase. The authors highlight advances in enzyme engineering to enhance stability and activity, particularly for microplastic degradation, and discuss the industrial prospects of enzymatic recycling.
Enzymatic PET Degradation
This review examines enzymatic degradation of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the plastic used in bottles and polyester clothing, as a promising pathway for breaking down this persistent polymer. Advances in engineering more efficient PET-degrading enzymes could enable industrial-scale biological recycling and reduce the environmental accumulation of PET microplastics.
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.
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.
Microbial engineering strategies for synthetic microplastics clean up: A review on recent approaches
This review examined microbial engineering strategies for breaking down synthetic microplastics, covering PETase and MHETase enzyme engineering, immobilization approaches, and the major challenges that remain before biological plastic cleanup can be deployed at scale.
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.
Recent trends in microbial and enzymatic plastic degradation: a solution for plastic pollution predicaments
This review covers recent advances in using microorganisms and their enzymes to break down plastics including polyethylene, PVC, polystyrene, and PET, with techniques like protein engineering being used to boost enzyme efficiency. Microbial degradation offers a sustainable approach to reducing the persistent plastic pollution that generates the microplastics found throughout the environment and human body.
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.
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.
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.
Characterization and engineering of plastic-degrading polyesterases jmPE13 and jmPE14 from Pseudomonas bacterium
Two new plastic-degrading polyesterases, jmPE13 and jmPE14, were characterized and engineered from Pseudomonas strains to improve their efficiency in hydrolyzing polyester plastics. The study aimed to develop higher-performance biocatalysts for the enzymatic upcycling of plastic waste.
Biodegradation of Plastic and the Role of Microbial Enzymes in Plastic Waste Management
This review examines how microbial enzymes, particularly PET hydrolases and oxidative enzymes, can depolymerize and break down common plastic polymers through biological degradation. The study suggests that enzymatic approaches to plastic waste management offer a promising complement to mechanical and chemical recycling, though optimizing enzyme activity and scaling up the process remain key challenges.
Microbial plastic degradation: enzymes, pathways, challenges, and perspectives.
This review synthesizes current knowledge on microbial plastic degradation, covering the enzymes and metabolic pathways involved in breaking down major synthetic polymers, the challenges limiting efficient biodegradation, and perspectives for engineering improved microbial solutions to plastic waste.
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.
Discovery and Biochemical Characterization of a Novel Polyesterase for the Degradation of Synthetic Plastics
Researchers used bioinformatics to discover a new enzyme from soil bacteria capable of breaking down synthetic plastics like PET and polyurethane. The enzyme was successfully expressed and characterized in the lab, offering a promising lead for developing biological plastic recycling approaches.
A review on microbial bioremediation of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics
This review focuses on microbial biodegradation of PET microplastics — the plastic used in bottles and synthetic textiles — detailing the specific enzymes (PETase and MHETase) that bacteria use to break the polymer down into its chemical building blocks. Biological degradation offers a lower-energy, more environmentally gentle alternative to chemical recycling or landfill, and understanding the microbial mechanisms involved is key to developing scalable bioremediation solutions for one of the most pervasive microplastic types.
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.
Plastic biodegradation: Frontline microbes and their enzymes
Researchers reviewed microbial biodegradation of synthetic plastics — including PE, PP, PS, and PET — cataloguing the insects, bacteria, and fungi capable of breaking down these polymers along with the enzymatic mechanisms involved, and outlining paths forward including metabolic pathway engineering and molecular cloning to improve degradation rates.
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.
An archaeal lid-containing feruloyl-esterase degrades polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
This study identified the first archaeal enzyme capable of degrading PET plastic, characterizing its structure and biochemical properties. Expanding the diversity of organisms with PET-degrading enzymes could accelerate the development of biological strategies for breaking down the microplastics contaminating marine and terrestrial environments.