Researchers from Brunel University in London have announced the discovery of two novel enzymes capable of breaking down a ubiquitous single-use plastic known as polyethylene terephthalate, or PET. The teams documented their findings in NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes, a peer‑reviewed scientific journal that concentrates on microbial communities and their interactions with materials like plastics.
According to Dr Ronan McCarthy, one of the study’s authors, the work not only identifies two fresh PET‑degrading enzymes but also demonstrates a strategy to boost their effectiveness by adjusting the bacterial culture as a whole rather than altering each enzyme in isolation. This broader modification approach may streamline optimization and open doors to more efficient recycling processes [citation for the study].
The biomedical team engineered plastic‑degrading bacteria to actively bind to waste and cultivate biofilms on the plastic surface. This biofilm matrix concentrates the enzymes where they are needed, increasing local activity and accelerating the breakdown of the polymer into its constituent monomers. In effect, the microbes create a more hostile environment for PET, enhancing the rate at which the plastic is depolymerized and made available for reuse or further processing [citation for the study].
Researchers believe the biofilm phenomenon observed in this study could be generalized to other enzymatic systems used in plastic recycling. If validated, the same principle might boost the performance of multiple biocatalysts across different plastic types, potentially expanding the range of materials that can be recycled biologically and reducing waste streams in settings ranging from labs to industry [citation for the study].
Looking ahead, the team plans to evaluate the two newly discovered enzymes in a bioreactor under controlled conditions. These experiments aim to determine how modified organisms perform at scale and whether the enhanced degradation observed in the lab translates to industrial environments where large volumes of PET waste are processed. Successful demonstration could influence how future biorecycling facilities are designed and operated, aligning with ongoing efforts to create more sustainable materials management systems [citation for the study].
Historical work in the field has included separate efforts to adapt soil bacteria for interactions with plastics, a line of inquiry that helped to establish the feasibility of using microbes as agents for material transformation. The current results build on that foundation, offering new insights into how microbial communities can be guided to concentrate enzymatic activity at plastic interfaces and thereby accelerate breakdown processes that are central to circular economy goals [citation for the study].