PepsiCo Partner Unearths Plastic-Eating Enzyme
“Mutant” bacteria can break down plastic bottles for recycling in less than 12 hours.
Apr 13, 2020 | 2 min read
ST.-BEAUZIRE, France—Carbios, a French biowaste company, has discovered a “mutant bacterial enzyme” that will break down plastic bottles for recycling within hours. Originally discovered in a composting heap of leaves, the enzyme was revealed in the journal Nature.
The enzyme “reduced the bottles to chemical building blocks that were then used to make high-quality new bottles.” The article adds that “existing recycling technologies usually produce plastic only good enough for clothing and carpets,” the Guardian reports.
Carbios has been in partnership with PepsiCo, Suntory Beverage & Food Europe and Nestlé Waters to accelerate development to reach its goal of industrial-scale recycling within five years.
After optimizing and introducing mutations to the enzyme, the team tested the product and ended up degrading plastic bottles by 90% within 10 hours. Scientists share that this is a major advance for sustainability.
“It makes the possibility of true industrial-scale, biological recycling of PET a possibility. This is a very large advance in terms of speed, efficiency and heat tolerance,” said John McGeehan, director of the Centre for Enzyme Innovation at the University of Portsmouth. “It represents a significant step forward for true circular recycling of PET and has the potential to reduce our reliance on oil, cut carbon emissions and energy use, and incentivize the collection and recycling of waste plastic.”
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