Selective and Sequential Catalysed Depolymerisation of Polyester Plastics

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Transitioning to a circular plastics economy is essential for the conservation of resources, retention of material value, and prevention of rampant pollution. Enzymatic plastic degradation, or biological recycling, offers a novel alternative to current mechanical and chemical recycling methods and is a promising option for difficult-to-recycle plastic waste, such a polymer-polymer blends. Directed evolution is a powerful engineering strategy in developing novel plastic degrading enzymes; previous work explored the directed evolution of an active and thermostable PETase. My new work seeks to broaden the current substrate scope of enzymatic plastic degradation to include poly(bisphenol-A) carbonate (BPA-PC), an engineering thermoplastic produced on a million ton per annum scale. BPA-PC is commonly blended with other hydrolytically labile polymers such as PET and PBT, making a highly selective BPA-PC depolymerase an attractive target. To this end, a BPA-PC degrading enzyme has been identified, and a first round of directed evolution is underway.