Speed enzyme for decomposing PET discovered at Leipzig cemetery

Some time ago, a research team led by Leipzig biochemist Christian Sonnendecker discovered an enzyme that breaks down PET in record time. Now it has been possible to accelerate this even further.

Where can you find these recycling superheroes?

Of course, in the compost, because plant compost heaps are the ideal digging site for the search for enzymes, because enzymes break down plant polymers in nature.

According to Sonnendecker, it is known that the microorganisms that use the enzymes are mainly found in leaf compost heaps.

Compost can easily reach temperatures of 60 to 70 degrees inside due to the fermentation processes. The scientists take advantage of this and dig particularly deep (50 to 70 centimetres) for their samples because they are looking for very heat-stable enzymes.

In the next step, individual heat-stable enzyme candidates must be laboriously extracted and purified. Only then can it be tested how well they can decompose plastic.

The research team has now been able to develop further and significantly more powerful enzymes - a publication in a specialist journal is currently being planned.

What does "particularly fast" mean?

According to reports, the first enzyme discovered decomposed plastic overnight. Even the researchers could hardly believe their eyes. This speed gives hope.

Where does the decomposed PET go?

PET plastic does not simply decompose, it is broken down into its basic building blocks.

If these are processed, new PET plastic can be produced from them. This is the special feature of decomposition using enzymes.

In this way, a cycle can be created in which no new crude oil is needed for PET production.

 

A candidate with which we can completely break down PET packaging from the supermarket, for example, in really less than a day - that is now for the first time a reaction time where we can also think about decomposing PET directly in a reactor without pre-treatment.

Christian Sonnendecker, biochemist, University of Leipzig

 

pro.earth conclusion:

Sounds like the perfect solution - we hope for rapid further development. 💚