EFRI E3P: Program plastic lifecycle by rationally design enzyme-containing plastics

该项目的目标是在塑料制造过程中嵌入活性酶，并在产品制造、储存和使用过程中按需编程塑料降解或改性。该项目的假设是：（1）聚合物基质中生物催化的分子控制可以在制造，使用和处置过程中提供按需修改或可编程的塑料降解，以及（2）随着合成生物学和纳米材料工程的最新进展，开发经济上可行的酶嵌入塑料以实现报废塑料废物的稳定或降解是可行的。该跨学科项目团队旨在开发可堆肥的一次性塑料，该塑料基于具有化学不稳定骨架的聚合物，并通过C-H键氧化来稳定聚烯烃。该团队打算（1）开发使用熔融挤出大规模制造这些材料的方法，（2）测试原型的性能，以及（3）与当地生态中心一起评估原型的环境影响。通过设计在储存和使用相关条件下稳定但在堆肥条件下几天内降解的可堆肥塑料，该项目旨在提供与可堆肥一次性塑料行业重要相关的基础知识。该研究的预期成果将减少送往垃圾填埋场的一次性塑料包装的数量，并降低有机物处理和堆肥设施的机械分离成本。研究计划是（1）发展纳米分散在半结晶聚酯中的酶的生物催化中的分子理解，重点是酶的稳定性，催化机理和动力学，以实现可编程降解，（2）发展含氧化酶的聚烯烃的生物催化中的分子理解，并设计催化级联以化学修饰聚烯烃的侧链，以实现稳定和加速降解，（3）制造最小可行原型，优化系统以获得一次性塑料的相关商业性能，使用ASTM测试方法验证材料特性和性能，并进行技术经济分析和评估原型生命周期。预计这项工作将在固态酶学和含酶功能材料的新兴领域提供重要的见解。该项目团队还计划采用三层方法，旨在改善聚合物科学领域的本科教育，为学生和公众演示开发聚合物降解工具包，并创建课程模块，特别强调聚合物回收，升级和酶降解。该奖项由数学和物理科学理事会共同资助，特别是材料研究部的聚合物项目。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project targets embedding active enzymes during plastic manufacturing, and programming on-demand plastic degradation or modification during product fabrication, storage, and use. The project's hypotheses are that (1) molecular control of biocatalysis within polymeric matrices can afford on-demand modification or programmable plastic degradation during manufacture, use, and disposal, and (2) with recent advances in synthetic biology and nanomaterial engineering, it is feasible to develop economically viable enzyme-embedded plastics to achieve valorization or degradation of end-of-life plastic waste. The interdisciplinary project team seeks to develop compostable single-use plastic based on polymers with chemically labile backbones and valorization of polyolefins by C-H bond oxidation. The team intends to (1) develop approaches to manufacturing these materials at large scale using melt extrusion, (2) test properties of prototypes, and (3) evaluate the environmental impact of the prototypes with local ecology centers. By engineering compostable plastics that are stable under conditions relevant to storage and use but degrade in a matter of days under composting conditions, this project seeks to provide basic knowledge of important relevance to the compostable single-use plastics industry. The intended outcome of the research would reduce the volume of single-use plastic packaging sent to landfills and reduce mechanical separation costs at organics processing and composting facilities. The research plan is to (1) develop molecular understanding in biocatalysis of enzymes nanoscopically dispersed in semi- crystalline polyesters with focus on enzyme stability, catalytic mechanism, and kinetics to realize programmable degradation, (2) develop molecular understanding in biocatalysis in oxidase-containing polyolefins and design catalytic cascades to chemically modify sidechains of polyolefins for valorization and accelerated degradation, and (3) fabricate minimum viable prototypes, optimize the system for relevant commercial performance as single-use plastics, validate the material properties and performance using ASTM testing methodology, and perform technoeconomic analysis and evaluate prototype life cycle. It is anticipated that the work will provide significant insights in the emerging fields of solid-state enzymology and enzyme-containing functional materials. The project team also plans a three-tiered approach aimed at improving undergraduate education in the area of polymer science, developing a polymer degradation kit for students and public demonstrations, and creating course modules to specifically highlight polymer recycling, upgrading, and enzymatic degradation. This award is co-funded by the directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, specifically the Polymers Program in the Division of Materials Research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.