Scientists Claim New Enzyme Can Break Down Plastic in a Single Week

Vice reports that scientists used machine learning to find a way to speed up the process of breaking down plastic.

A research team from the University of Texas at Austin modified an enzyme to break down the individual components of a plastic that makes up 12 percent of global waste.

The amount of time it takes for the plastic to degrade was reduced thanks to the modified enzyme.

The process of depolymerization has the added benefit of allowing the broken down monomers to be reconstituted back into virgin PET plastic, a potentially revolutionary way of recycling the massive amount of plastic waste we have accumulated.

Figuring out a reliable and affordable way to scale up and industrialize the process is what all depends on.

Virgin Plastic

It's a big deal that virgin plastic can be turned into PET plastic.

Hal Alper, professor in chemical engineering and author on the paper, told Vice that this has advantages over traditional belt recycling.

The new method can be used to make virgin PET plastic every time.

According to Vice, we have known for at least 2005 that certain enzymes can break down plastic, but many of them only work in very specific conditions.

Alper and his team are able to work in a variety of different temperatures and pH levels.

The team has a difficult task in finding a way to produce their enzyme cheaply and at an industrial scale.

The researchers are going to try it out on a huge variety of different PET plastic that can be found in the garbage.

Scientists have a method to break down plastic in days.

Bill Nye was accused of being paid for a huge poll.