New enzyme discovery is another leap towards beating plastic waste

Scientists who helped to pioneer the use of enzymes to eat plastic have taken an important next step in developing nature-based solutions to the global plastics crisis.

One of the chemical building blocks of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, which is used to make single-use drinks bottles, clothing and carpets, is broken down by an enzyme that they have characterized.

The research, which was published in The PNAS, was co-led by Professor Jen DuBois, Montana State University, and Professor John McGeehan from the University of Pompey, who led the international team that engineered a natural enzyme that could break. The chemical building blocks ofEG and TPA are broken into by the enzymes. The next steps for managing TPA are described in this new research.

Professor DuBois said that while EG is a chemical with many uses, it is not something that mostbacteria can use. TPA can be seen like a hand in a glove by the Portsmouth team. Our group at MSU demonstrated that the TPADO breaks down TPA and only TPA, with amazing efficiency.

With more than 400 million tons of plastic waste produced each year, the overwhelming majority of which ends up in landfills, it is hoped this work will open the door to improve the quality of life.

The last few years have seen incredible advances in the engineering of enzymes to break down PET plastic into its building blocks. This work looks at the firstidase in a cascade that can break down building blocks into simpler molecule. These can be used bybacteria to make sustainable chemicals and materials from plastic waste.

Using powerful X-ray at the Diamond Light Source, we were able to generate a detailed 3-D structure of the TPADO enzyme. This gives researchers a plan for engineering faster and more efficient versions of this complex enzyme.

The study was done as part of the BOTTLE Consortium, an international collaboration between the US and UK, bringing together researchers from across a wide range of scientific areas to tackle plastic recycling and upcycling.

More information: Biochemical and structural characterization of an aromatic ring–hydroxylating dioxygenase for terephthalic acid catabolism, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2121426119 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Citation: New enzyme discovery is another leap towards beating plastic waste (2022, March 21) retrieved 21 March 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-03-enzyme-discovery-plastic.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.