BIOL 488: Genetic Modification of Bacteria Could Stabilize Thermal Lability of Plastic Degrading Enzyme

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene (PE) are extremely common and are the most widely produced and used plastics in the world. Extremely resistant to degradation in nature due to their origins from fossil oil. PET is used for synthetic fibers, bottle resin, packaging, etc. Contemporary methods (recycling and incineration) are often time consuming that result in harmful by-products. Solutions may lie in an enzyme that was discovered in Japan (2016) from the bacterium Ideonella Saikenesis that has the ability to naturally degrade plastic.

Unfortunately, the enzyme itself tends to become unstable at higher temperatures (85°F) and degrades.