Maya Ellison
Plastic pollution is a pressing issue, with around 1 million plastic bottles sold globally every minute, and only 14% recycled. The remaining plastic waste ends up in oceans, harming marine life and potentially humans who consume seafood. In 2016, a breakthrough discovery of plastic-eating bugs at a Japanese dump spurred further research into plastic-eating enzymes. These enzymes have the potential to fully recycle plastic bottles by breaking down the polymers and converting them into useful molecules. Scientists have since discovered thousands of unique plastic-eating enzymes in bacteria and wastewater microbes, with the hope of using them to tackle plastic pollution and create a more sustainable future.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location | Waste dump in Japan |
| Year of Discovery | 2016 |
| Type of Bacteria | Ideonella sakaiensis |
| Type of Enzyme | PETase |
| Type of Plastic | PET (polyethylene terephthalate) |
| Enzyme Source | C. testosteroni bacteria |
| Enzyme Function | Breaks down PET plastic |
| Enzyme Modification | Accidentally improved by scientists |
| Enzyme Speed | Six times faster than regular enzymes |
| Enzyme Application | Recycling of plastic bottles |
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What You'll Learn
Plastic-eating bugs found in Japan
Plastic pollution is a pressing issue, with plastic bottles and packaging polluting even the remotest parts of the planet, from the Arctic to the deepest oceans. About 1 million plastic bottles are sold globally each minute, but only 14% are recycled, with the rest ending up in landfills or the ocean, where they harm marine life and potentially humans who eat seafood.
In 2016, scientists in Japan made a breakthrough discovery of plastic-eating bugs at a waste dump in Sakai, Japan. The newly discovered bacterium was named Ideonella sakaiensis after the city of Sakai, where it was found. This bacterium had naturally evolved to eat plastic, specifically breaking down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most common plastic found in clothing and packaging.
The discovery of Ideonella sakaiensis spurred further research and the development of a super-enzyme that can degrade plastic bottles six times faster than regular enzymes. This super-enzyme was created by scientists from the University of Portsmouth, UK, and the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. It was derived from the bacteria discovered in Japan and other similar enzymes. The team manipulated the enzyme's structure, inadvertently improving its ability to break down PET plastic.
The super-enzyme technology has significant implications for recycling, as it enables the full recycling of plastic bottles for the first time. Currently, even recycled bottles can only be turned into opaque fibres for clothing or carpets. With this new enzyme, clear plastic bottles can be recycled back into clear plastic bottles, reducing the need to produce new plastic from oil.
While this discovery is promising, it is important to note that the enzymes need to be in an environment with temperatures above 30°C, and they can only break down certain types of plastic. Scientists are continuing to search for other plastic-eating microbes and enzymes that can work in colder temperatures and break down a wider range of plastics.
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PET bottles recycled into polyester fibres
Plastic waste is found everywhere on Earth, from the deepest ocean trenches to Mount Everest. The global plastic pollution crisis has spurred scientists to find solutions to reduce plastic waste. In 2016, the first bacterium that had naturally evolved to eat plastic was discovered at a waste dump in Japan. This breakthrough led to the creation of a mutant enzyme that breaks down plastic drinks bottles, specifically those made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate).
PET bottles that are recycled are cleaned, sorted by colour, shredded, and dried to produce PET flakes. However, due to impurities, it is challenging to use these recycled flakes to create new, clear PET bottles. As a result, recycled PET bottles are predominantly used to produce polyester fibres. Polyester is the most commonly used synthetic fibre in the textile industry due to its economic and mechanical properties.
The process of recycling PET bottles into polyester fibres involves melting and extruding the waste bottles to create textile-grade polyester fibre. Recycled polyester fibre has a lower melting point, lower crystallinity, and lower tensile strength compared to virgin polyester fibre. The transmission properties, such as air and moisture vapour permeability, remain relatively unchanged with the incorporation of recycled polyester. However, the shear and bending rigidities of woven fabrics tend to increase with the use of recycled polyester.
Several companies are now marketing sustainable clothing made from recycled polyester fibres. This approach to recycling PET bottles into polyester fibres for clothing is known as upcycling and is considered more environmentally friendly than discarding the bottles as waste. However, it is important to consider the long-term implications of using PET bottles as feedstock for recycled polyester clothes. Once the bottles become clothing, they exit a closed-loop system, making it challenging to recycle them into new products.
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Enzyme produced by the Japanese bug
In 2016, scientists discovered the first bacterium that had naturally evolved to eat plastic at a waste dump in Japan. The bacterium, named Ideonella sakaiensis, was found to produce an enzyme that breaks down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most common plastic found in clothing and packaging. This discovery spurred further research and led to the creation of a "super-enzyme" that can degrade plastic bottles six times faster than regular enzymes.
The precise structure of the enzyme produced by the Japanese bug was determined using an intense beam of X-rays called the Diamond Light Source, located near Oxford, UK. This enzyme was found to be similar to one evolved by many bacteria to break down cutin, a natural polymer used as a protective coating by plants. By manipulating the enzyme, scientists inadvertently improved its ability to break down PET, the plastic used for soft drink bottles.
The discovery of this plastic-eating enzyme has significant implications for addressing the global plastic pollution crisis. It offers a potential solution for fully recycling plastic bottles and reducing the need to produce new plastic. However, despite these promising findings, scientists caution that widespread commercial use of these enzymes is still years away.
While the focus has been on the Japanese bug and its enzyme, other bacteria and microorganisms have also been found to possess plastic-eating capabilities. For example, researchers have identified plastic-busting enzymes in wastewater microbes, such as Comamonas testosteroni, which can help degrade microplastics present in treated wastewater. Additionally, bacteria in soils and oceans are evolving to digest plastic, with thousands of unique plastic-eating enzymes discovered by studying environmental DNA.
The quest to harness the power of enzymes in breaking down plastic continues, with researchers exploring ways to further enhance their efficiency. The ultimate goal is to use enzymes to turn plastic back into its original components, enabling true recycling and reducing the environmental impact of plastic pollution.
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Plastic-eating enzymes in wastewater microbes
Plastic pollution is a pressing issue, with approximately 1 million plastic bottles sold globally every minute, and only 14% recycled. The remaining plastic waste ends up in oceans, harming marine life and potentially impacting humans who consume seafood.
In 2016, a breakthrough discovery was made in a Japanese waste dump, where a bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis, was found to naturally feed on plastic. This bacterium produces an enzyme that breaks down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most common plastic in clothing and packaging. The detailed structure of this enzyme was later studied and manipulated by an international team of scientists, inadvertently improving its ability to break down PET.
Since then, researchers have continued to explore the potential of plastic-eating enzymes. In 2024, a significant discovery was reported in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology. Researchers identified a plastic-eating enzyme in wastewater microbes, specifically in microbes living in sewage sludge. This enzyme, produced by Comamonas testosteroni, can break apart microplastic particles, which could be leveraged by wastewater treatment plants to upcycle plastic waste and address the issue of microplastics in the environment.
To simulate wastewater conditions, researchers added acetate, an ion commonly found in wastewater, which resulted in a significant increase in bacterial colonies. While C. testosteroni produced some nano-sized PET particles, it also completely degraded the polymer to its monomers, which the bacteria could use as a source of carbon for growth and development.
The discovery of plastic-eating enzymes in wastewater microbes opens up new possibilities for tackling plastic waste and addressing the global plastic pollution crisis. Further research and development are underway to optimize these enzymes and bring us closer to a solution for recycling plastic waste.
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Ideonella sakaiensis, a plastic-eating bacterium
Ideonella sakaiensis is a bacterium from the genus Ideonella and the family Comamonadaceae. It was first discovered in 2016 in Sakai City, Japan, by a team of researchers led by Kohei Oda of the Kyoto Institute of Technology and Kenji Miyamoto of Keio University. The bacterium was isolated from a sediment sample taken outside a plastic bottle recycling facility, and it has since been studied for its unique ability to break down and consume plastic, specifically polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
I. sakaiensis is an aerobic, mesophilic bacterium, meaning it requires oxygen to grow and thrive. It typically grows within a temperature range of 15 to 42°C, with an optimum growth temperature of 35±2°C, and a pH range of 5.5 to 9.0. The bacterium can be easily cultured in common culture mediums.
The discovery of I. sakaiensis has significant implications for the degradation of PET plastics and the development of more environmentally friendly methods of handling plastic waste. This bacterium can break down and metabolize PET, using it as a source of carbon and energy. The PET plastic-degrading enzyme produced by I. sakaiensis is known as PETase. This enzyme functions by breaking down the ester bonds in PET, converting it into mono(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalic acid (MHET) and other intermediate compounds. These breakdown products can then be utilized by I. sakaiensis and other bacteria, or chemically modified for various applications.
The PETase enzyme has been the focus of extensive research, with scientists working to understand its structure and enhance its plastic-degrading capabilities. By genetically modifying and combining PETase with other enzymes, such as MHETase, researchers have been able to further increase the degradation of PET and other plastics. These advancements hold great promise for recycling and upcycling mixed plastics, contributing to the development of more sustainable practices to address the global plastic pollution crisis.
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Frequently asked questions
The plastic-eating enzyme was discovered in a bacterium called Ideonella sakaiensis, found in a waste dump in Japan.
The plastic-eating enzyme can be used to break down plastic drinks bottles, enabling the full recycling of bottles. This could help solve the global plastic pollution crisis.
The plastic-eating enzyme breaks down the PET polyethylene terephthalate plastic used for soft drink bottles. It can also be used to break down natural polymers like cellulose.
