Earlier in the year, you might have heard about the bug that feasts on toxic plastic or, two years ago, about the plastic-eating worms that are usually bred as fish bait.  On the 8th of April 2020, we introduce you to a manmade mutant enzyme that recycles plastic bottles in hours. The non-biodegradability of plastic and its accumulation has been an issue since we first started using it abundantly. However, scientists are working fervently to find a solution that will be environmentally friendly, allowing us to use the plastic as we have done for years.

The new enzyme was revealed in research published on Wednesday in the Journal Nature. According to the published article, “we describe an improved PET hydrolase that ultimately achieves, over 10 hours, a minimum of 90% PET depolymerization into monomers,” which proves it to be a highly efficient enzyme for degrading plastic. The Guardian also explained that “the scientists analyzed the enzyme and introduced mutations to improve its ability to break down the PET plastic from which drinks bottles are made. They also made it stable at 72C, close to the perfect temperature for fast degradation.”

According to the same The Guardian article, “The company behind the breakthrough, Carbios, said it was aiming for industrial-scale recycling within five years.” This large company has partnered with companies such as Pepsi and L’Oreal to fast-track its development. Carbios will produce the enzyme at a large scale and says that the cost of the enzyme was just 4% of the cost of virgin plastic made from oil (another alternative that was being previously used).

The main governmental focus at the moment has been an initiative called a “circular economy” which will eventually allow them the country and the world to meet the sustainable development goal. A circular economy has come to replace the traditional “linear economy” where the main model is “take, make, dispose” of general products. This traditional and outdated model doesn’t factor in recycling causing a large buildup of waste which cannot occur for long. The circular economy aims to eliminate waste and plans to continually use the same resources again and again. Circular systems employ the “reuse, sharing and recycling” model to create a close loop system, therefore minimizing waste, pollution and carbon emissions. Therefore, this enzyme might pave the way for a new form of plastic disposal that will facilitate the implementation of the circular economy.

There seems to be high expectations for the future of this enzyme and for the possibility of humans to lead a more sustainable life!