Work

Enzyme discovery and engineering for sustainable plastic recycling

Year: 2021

Type: review

Abstract: The drastically increasing amount of plastic waste is causing an environmental crisis that requires innovative technologies for recycling post-consumer plastics to achieve waste valorization while meeting environmental quality goals. Biocatalytic depolymerization mediated by enzymes has emerged as an efficient and sustainable alternative for plastic treatment and recycling. A variety of plastic-degrading enzymes have been discovered from microbial sources. Meanwhile, protein engineering has been exploited to modify and optimize plastic-degrading enzymes. This review highlights the recent trends and up-to-date advances in mining novel plastic-degrading enzymes through state-of-the-art omics-based techniques and improving the enzyme catalytic efficiency and stability via various protein engineering strategies. Future research prospects and challenges are also discussed.

Source: Trends in biotechnology

DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2021.02.008

Authors: Baotong Zhu, Dong Wang, Na Wei

Institution: University of Notre Dame

Language: English

Topic: Enzyme Production and Characterization

Subfield: Biotechnology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $6,700