NREL Partnership Dives Deeper Into How Enzymes Digest Plastic
NREL researchers take biological samples from an old polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, soda bottle to isolate microbes that may be breaking down the plastic. Photo taken prior to social distancing requirements. Photo by Dennis Schroeder / NREL
A successful collaboration between scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the University of Portsmouth in England, and other partners has yielded further insight into the workings of plastic-eating enzymes.
The research, supported by DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies and Advanced Manufacturing Offices, determined two synergistic enzymes work effectively in tandem to break down a type of plastic used to make single-use beverage bottles, clothing, and carpeting.
Read more about this exciting research in the article “Characterization and engineering of a two-enzyme system for plastics depolymerization,” published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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