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BIOTEK2021-Bioteknologi for verdiskaping

KSP: Unlocking the potential of enzymatic recycling of plastics

Alternative title: Utvikling og vurdering av metoder og strategier for enzymatisk resirkulering av plast

Awarded: NOK 30.0 mill.

Plastic is a useful and versatile material, but it also poses a significant challenge for society. Modern society is completely dependent on plastic products, but much of the plastic produced is not recyclable. At the same time, enormous amounts of plastic end up in nature, posing a threat to the environment. It is therefore crucial to develop new technology that can facilitate the sustainable recycling of all types of plastic. We have therefore set out to develop new biotechnology for the enzymatic degradation of plastic types that currently cannot be biochemically degraded, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyacrylate. We aim to achieve this by learning from nature, as there are both bacteria and insects that can eat and digest these types of plastic using specialized enzymes. By copying these enzymes, we can use them to break down waste plastic into its smallest components. These molecules can be purified and then reassembled into new plastic. The project has made good progress and visibility in the media through both narrow and broad dissemination efforts. Scientifically, the project has led to significant professional development among all partners, with the establishment of new analytical methods that make us competitive with top research groups in the field. The first scientific study will soon be published in the renowned journal Nature Communications, revealing how the field has long been misled into believing that enzymes from wax moths can break down polyethylene. Using our advanced analytical methods and partners, we describe what is often done wrong and how the field must design and conduct experiments to succeed in finding plastic-degrading enzymes. In parallel, we have worked in four directions: 1. We have collected samples from a plastic landfill at Flisa, which contain bacteria that can eat partially oxidized polyethylene. We are now investigating how the bacteria manage this to develop new enzyme tools for plastic degradation. 2. We have developed special plastic particles that release fluorescent molecules when they break down. These can be used to discover new bacteria and enzymes that can eat plastic. 3. We have developed a new type of plastic that resembles polyethylene but is easily degraded by enzymes. We hope this can be a step towards creating new plastic that can be recycled in a closed loop. 4. We have been active in communicating our results and the plastic challenge in general. We have developed a website (www.plastportalen.no) that provides updated information on plastic and plastic research in Norway and Europe. We have also participated in many meetings and seminars and given lectures to both specialists and the general public. Overall, the project has made expected progress, and we look forward with great excitement to the future, where we will continue working on the four directions mentioned above to find new solutions to the plastic challenge facing society.

Plastics represent both a fantastic resource, but also a large challenge for society. On one hand, modern society cannot live without plastic products. On the other hand, its production from non-renewable resources is not sustainable and a large amount of plastic ends up polluting the environment every year. The only way to achieve sustainability for plastics is to develop technology for efficient and environmentally friendly recycling. In the proposed interdisciplinary project we aim to develop new biotechnology that will allow enzymatic degradation of non-hydrolysable plastics like polyethylene, polypropylene and polyacrylate. Plastic degrading enzymes will be identified and developed by using state-of-the-art (meta)genomics and -proteomics techniques to explore the enzymatic machineries of plastic degrading microorganisms and insects (more specifically, the greater wax moth). We will also screen and re-design powerful oxidative enzymes that naturally target recalcitrant and crystalline surface of biopolymers, to target plastic polymers. Hand in hand with enzyme development, we will engineer new and/or modified plastic polymers that are tailored for enzymatic degradation, but that still keep their functional properties. Importantly, methods for extraction, purification and reuse of the plastic degradation products will be developed in order to assess the recyclability of the degradation reaction end-products . Since the perspective of enzymatic recycling of plastics is relatively new to both academia and the plastics sector, we will also establish dialogues with, and among, stakeholders and policy makers to assess technological opportunities and discuss and guide future directions both in terms of R&D efforts and political measures. To obtain a better fundament for understanding the roles and opportunities of enzymatic plastic recycling in society we will also perform sustainability assessments and barrier analyses.

Publications from Cristin

Funding scheme:

BIOTEK2021-Bioteknologi for verdiskaping