How can we use monomers from enzyme degradation of plastics in building materials ?
Author: Aline Jolie, SOPREMA Building industry is one of the fields the most concerned about climate change and sustainable development. Indeed, the figures of its impact are impressive; regarding the developed countries, construction is responsible for 40% of CO2 emissions, 37% of energy consumption and 40% of product waste. At SOPREMA, we are positive that […]
Applying enzymes for microplastic degradation in sewage sludge
Silvia Doñate Hernández, DAM Microplastics are an increasing problem. They can be found in a number of cosmetic and personal care products, but one of the main sources is textile washing, which dumps large amounts of synthetic microfibres to the wastewater. About 37,000 microplastics particles are estimated per m3 wastewater. Then, sewer systems transport these […]
How can we use enzymes to recycle plastic?
Author: Tom Ewing and Mattijs Julsing, Wageningen University & Research Finding efficient ways to reuse and recycle plastic waste is of utmost importance both to prevent environmental contamination and to ensure efficient use of the resources used in the production of plastics. Certain types of plastic can be readily recycled by mechanically reshaping waste into […]
The main challenges of a production process for plastic-degrading enzymes
Author: Gerald Striedner, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna The central idea of the H2020 project ENZYCLE is the degradation of non-recycled plastic fractions by enzymatic treatment. PET packaging, multilayer packaging (PET/PE and PET/PP) as well as microplastics are the main target materials that need to be treated for a better recycling. […]
The power of enzymes to break down PET plastics
Author: Christian Sonnendecker, University of Leipzig Enzymes are powerful micromachines A key player for all life on earth is enzymatic catalysis. Enzymes are complex protein structures which specifically recognize and process molecules, thereby speeding up chemical reactions. In a nutshell, they are micromachines that can efficiently remodel matter on a molecular level. The importance of […]
Microbial consortia for the degradation of recalcitrant plastic fractions
Author: Kristie Tanner, Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence S.L. Microorganisms can be found practically anywhere on our planet. From arid deserts, to hydrothermal vents or in environments contaminated with nuclear waste, microorganisms are able to adapt to almost any environment. Why? Because, over millions of years, they have developed methods to survive under a range of environmental […]
