Scientists Working To Beat Plastic Waste
Professor John McGeehan, Director of the Centre for Enzyme Innovation at the University of Portsmouth
The launch of our 2021 Environmental Calendar was our commitment to dig deeper into the world’s largest environmental issues and provide you with some simple ways you can help to resolve them. We will also be complementing each monthly release by running a spotlight on the topic in question. This could range from a related news story, an interview with an expert, or simply, a blog from a member of our team who has been working towards combatting the given issue.
So, in light of the focus on Waste Management for January…
Did you know that in 2018 an enzyme was created that was capable of breaking down the world’s most commonly polluting plastic products?
The discovery was made by scientists from the University of Portsmouth (UK) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) (USA) and it was declared as a significant step towards beating plastic waste. In 2020, there was a further breakthrough. A ‘cocktail’ version of this enzyme was engineered: a mix of two enzymes with the potential to digest plastic products 6 times faster. This low-energy solution for breaking down plastic waste presents infinite recycling opportunities and could help us take an even bigger step towards tackling the global plastic pollution crisis - one of our world’s most pressing environmental issues.
For further details on this exciting breakthrough, please CLICK HERE
Please click below to visit our Environmental Calendar to learn more about Waste Management and other important environmental topics.
