Plastic-Eating Enzymes
Promising, But Not Enough
By Mark Kuhl
For the GPHN
In 2016, unique bacterium was found lurking in the soil near a Japanese bottle recycling plant. A microbiologist found it secretes an enzyme that breaks down PET, the most ubiquitous plastic in our environment.
Curious whether this organism could be exploited to help reduce our plastic pollution problem, a collaboration was formed between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) here in Colorado, and the University of Portsmouth in the UK. They studied the enzyme and found ways to improve its capacity to degrade PET in concert with another enzyme secreted by the same bacteria.
Additional research has uncovered two more bacteria with enzymes that act on PET, although none are fast enough for a commercial process to handle the volume of plastic bottles we consume. This is promising, but unlikely to play a big role in addressing our plastic waste in the near future so it’s imperative we continue to seek ways to reduce plastic consumption and invent sustainable alternatives.
Mark Kuhl is an environmental advocate who lives in Park Hill with his family. His handy tips and news about recycling household items appear every month in these pages. A directory of his past columns for recycling everything from paint to Styrofoam to shoes is at greaterparkhill.org/sustainability/recycling-directory/.