Bacterial enzymes are highly degrading for not only compost formation but also for degradation of hydrocarbons. Now to degrade the world's biggest problem scientists have created mutant bacterial enzymes.
Now use of a mutant bacterial enzyme that breaks down plastic bottles for recycling in mere hours is finding traction.
The French company behind the breakthrough,
The advancement for the enzyme was revealed in research published on Wednesday in the journal Nature.
The company earlier this year announced a deal with the biotechnology company
There are some limitations. Waste bottles must be ground up and heated before the enzyme is added, so the recycled polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, will be more expensive than virgin plastic. But the company explained to the Guardian that existing lower-quality recycled plastic sells at a premium due to a shortage of supply, which narrows the pricing gap.
But, it says, the value of plastics in food packaging, medical care and transportation can't be ignored, which is why it pushes for a circular economy favoring converting plastic waste.
Most of the 350 million-plus metric tons of plastic produced every year enter the world's terrestrial and marine environments. And some estimates suggest that plastic costs humanity over
Earlier this year, German researchers reported the discovery of a bug that feasts on toxic polyurethane and earlier work had shown that a wax moth larvae, usually used as fish bait, can degrade polythene bags.
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