Newly Identified Bacteria Cleans Up Common Plastic

Two enzymes take common plastic back to its starting materials.

Plastic is everywhere. Once it gets into the environment as trash, it stays there for years, decades, or even centuries.

That's because most plastic is chemically inert and immune to the enzymatic processes involved in biodegradation. We've tried to curtail plastic pollution through recycling and by creating plastic that is biodegradable or compostable.

But what about all the plastic litter that's already out there and could persist long after our grandchildren are gone?

Life may be coming to our aid. A team of scientists in Japan, led by Shosuke Yoshida of Kyoto University, has recently discovered a species of bacteria that can degrade plastic called PET. 

Read full article at: Science 

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• Bioremediation
• Remediation
• Water microbiology
• Chemicals
• Chemical Materials
• Polymers & Plastics
• Consumer Chemicals
• Chemical Research
• Environment