Everyone knows by now that plastic pollution is a big problem for the environment. Beying, for example, has dealt with this by stopping using thin plastic bags, plastic tableware and other plastic products in supermarkets, restaurants and hotels since May 1, 2020.
But an even better method might be on the way. Researchers at a French company called Carbios have discovered a bacterial enzyme that can break down plastic. The enzyme, which was first found in compost leaves, can not only break down plastic in hours, but also use the things left to create new products.
In fact, the first compost enzyme was found in 2012. Scientists changed its genes, allowing it to break down 90 percent of one ton of waste plastic in less than 10 hours. "It had been completely forgotten, but it turned out to be the best," said Marty.
The new enzyme was discovered in research published in April, 2020. Before that, the team, led by Professor Alain Marty, studied over 100,000 micro-organisms to find one that could break down plastic quickly.
The enzyme especially breaks down PET, a kind of plastic that is most commonly used for plastic bottles and food packaging. It is also the fifth most common kind of plastic that we use.
However, waste bottles must be ground up and heated before the new enzyme is mixed in. These will make the recycled PET more expensive. But because of a shortage of this recycled plastic, people still like paying more money for it.
Carbios said it is working together with companies like Pepsi and Nestle — main users of plastic themselves - to develop their research and start using the enzyme in the factories. "There is still a lot of work to do to use it in the factories, but this opens the door." said a research scientist.
① studied lots of micro-organisms
② discovered the new enzyme
③ found the first compost enzyme
④ changed genes of the enzyme
