Scholars at the University of Texas in the United States have produced a new type of protein with the help of machine learning algorithms by modifying a natural enzyme protein. The enzyme, named Fast-PEtase, breaks down environmentally harmful waste plastic polyhexene phthalates into monomers within hours or days. Experts confirmed the effectiveness of this protein with 51 types of plastic waste.
It should be noted that under the natural environmental conditions, the decomposition process of waste plastics usually takes hundreds of years to complete.
The head-scratching 'waste plastic.'
The fast-PEtase enzyme developed by the research team can speed up the decomposition process of plastics. Plastic waste disposal takes about 24 hours. The results were published in the journal Nature.
The new enzyme dissolves these discarded plastic products within 24 hours
In the past few years, scientists around the world have successfully obtained substances that can break down plastics. Japanese scholars introduced similar enzymes a few years ago. Today, the research results of the team at the University of Texas in the United States have greatly accelerated the work efficiency and speed of enzymes.
Previously, the degradation of waste plastics under the action of enzymes took too long, and the main problem was that enzymes could not work effectively at low temperatures and in different pH ranges, in addition, enzymes performed poorly when decomposing untreated plastic waste. To enhance the quality of the enzyme, experts have developed a machine learning model that prompts mutations in inefficient sites in the enzyme.
The process by which waste plastics are degraded
This new enzyme degrades plastics most efficiently at temperatures ranging from 28 to 52 degrees Celsius and in different pH ranges. As a result, it can completely break down 51 different polyethylene products in just 6 days, and in some cases, the process takes only 24 hours to complete. The scientists also demonstrated a closed reuse cycle of PET, where FAST-PEtase is used for the degradation of plastics and then the recycled monomers are used for the chemical reconstruction of polymers.
"When choosing an environmental purification technology, you need enzymes that can function at the ambient temperature in which you live," says researcher Hal Alper, "and it is in compliance with this condition that the results of our research will have great potential in the future." ”
Chemists believe that with the ability to quickly break down plastics at low temperatures, they have been able to develop a portable, practical, and industrialized method. They have already crafted their technology and hope it can be actively promoted in garbage dumps and polluted areas.
Hal Alper believes: "The application potential of this advanced recycling technology in various sectors of industry is indeed inexhaustible. ”
Moreover, this new discovery will enable companies in all industries to play a leading role in the recycling of their own products. With these more stable enzymes, we will be able to develop a true circular economy for plastics. ”
A plastic-devouring enzyme can eliminate billions of tons of plastic waste from dumps
Source: University of Texas (https://news.utexas.edu/2022/04/27/plastic-eating-enzyme-could-eliminate-billions-of-tons-of-landfill-waste/)
Editor Huang Dalin Note: The above article is from the Texas Education News Network in the United States quoted by the translation of several Russian websites on April 28, 2022. There are no less than ten Russian website platform authors spreading the findings.